Power and Possession
by sabakuXnoXsalem
Summary: 'Sei Ryoku to Ryoudo' That was Madaras answer when asked what he lived for. If people count as possessions, Itachi could agree. So could Sasuke. How will Naruto protect his friends from the Uchiha spell without being caught in it himself? What secrets will come out? Yaoi,Demon/VampyThemed,dirty rotten tricks &a dash of deception. ItaMada, MadaIta, SasuNaru, Nejigaa, fullsumm inside
1. Good Ideas and Bad Feelings

**This is my third fic and my third time trying to upload this because my microsoft word is locked and I hadn't divided this into chapters yet...**

**Summary: The three remaining Uchiha demons flee from Japan after Sasuke frees Itachi's bonded, Madara, from his eternal physical prison. They must blend in as humans at a school where demons and humans learn together in order to create a balance between the two species. While Itachi and his old mentor-made-mate struggle with unwanted lust and feeling, Sasuke tries to win the heart of his first love, a blonde he met in a picture. All Naruto wants to do is protect his friends from the 'Uchiha spell', but how can he expect them to stay away when he can't? Can he keep his secret from his brother?And Madara seems to have MORE than enough secrets of his own. ItaMada, SasuNaru, slight GaaNaru (but mostly close buddies)? You'll see, I'll make it happen! ;D**

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned 'NARUTO', ninjas would be having kinky sex on water-surfaces.**

**WARNINGS: Yaoi, violence, large doses of uncomfortable sexual tension, incest(itamada=incest?), Demon-stuff, confusion, and the general twists and turns in a story that make your head hurt.**

**Enjoy. Review?**

**~SabakuXnoXSalem**

**Chapter one: Good Ideas and Bad Dreams**

**(Itachi PoV)**

I sit alone in my self-established part of the Uchiha complex toying with the ancient necklace that rests on my collar bone, waiting for my sight to come back. I shut down my senses and take calming breathes, closing my eyes as every sound is muffled, every touch dulled and every smell is faint. Inhaling through my nose, I feel the corner of my lip turn upwards slightly; I can still smell death. Even with these weak, human senses, I can feel the physical lives of all the Uchihas slip through my fingers as the bodies hit the earth and their blood flows out as if eager to escape the corpse of its owner. I can still remember their souls one by one flying into the urn I had at my side, their spirits destined to eternal torment in a place worse than hell for the likes of my clan.

My clan.

No, from the moment I was born everyone knew I, Uchiha Itachi, was not a part of this clan, that I was different. The clan knew it too, they just hadn't decided if it was in the good way or the bad way.

Well, I sure as hell hope they know now.

I open my eyes to escape the memories, giving a content sigh as my sight seems to have returned. I should probably lay off sharingan when alone at home. I have to save my energy after all, right? I'll have to see my little brother in a few days, the first time we meet face to face since I rescued/kidnapped him from the snake demon, Orochimaru.

After I broke the little spell he had over my brother, I brought him to the Uchiha complex and placed him in an unused, empty (naturally…) home. One that happened to be on the other side of the Uchiha complex from me (as cool and collected as I seem, I'm no fan of awkward situations…).

I've checked on his house once, only to find him missing. At first I panicked, my hands gripping my hair and my eyes wide, I begin searching the house. I gave him our old house, thinking he would be more comfortable there than in any other, so I first check his room, then our parents, then every other room.

Right as I get to the kitchen I slow to a stop and analyze the situation from my brother's point of view and realize he's definitely not in this house, or even the complex for that matter. Probably out sorting his thoughts, exploring the old town, walking through the forest, who knows?

At this point I'm glad no one is around to see the '…oh.' Expression on my face after I realize this.

But, it's been two weeks and I haven't seen him since then. It's probably for the better, because as I lay down to sleep, I have a strange feeling that a lot of stuff is about to go down and quite a few changes are going to occur. Does it have anything to do with Sasuke coming back into my life?

'Maybe…' I think as my mind slips away and I lose consciousness .

I wake up at around four in the afternoon, never being one for mornings. I sit up in my king-sized bed running my hands through my damp hair, then running them over my sweaty face. I didn't freak out this time. Usually after reliving that nightmare, I wake up hyperventilating, my heart almost pounding out of my chest, the works. I think back on it, as if I could dissect it, because it's almost never the same.

_'Squelch!' Is all I hear as my katana slices through the physical bodies of familiar and unfamiliar clan members. I race through the Uchiha complex, having been told to get this done quickly. I pause, feeling someone behind me, too close, this is it._

_'Squelch!'_

_But the ugly sound effect doesn't belong to me. I look back and I'm face to face with an Uchiha just before he falls, leaving me face to face with his murderer. Anticipation bubbles to the brim of my brain as I open my eyes to find older ones mirroring them. As soon as I can recognize that insane look in those eyes, I realize it's the very phantom who's raised me. We stare a bit longer until he gives that eccentric smile of his and I turn into a lost kitten and, in a moment of thoughtlessness, attempt to embrace a non physical being. It's really quite strange, all I am doing is hugging the clothing around his ghostly being. That's probably why he wears so much clothing, to make it feel like he has a real body under them, not just an Illusion. I feel his gloved hands wrap around my back, and I rest my head against his armored shoulder and the side-turned face of his mask._

_We hear the other Uchiha discovering their dead family members, heading this way. We part and I take off running to confront the other Uchiha dead on, feeling for his presence behind me. By the time everyone is silenced, I find my parents preparing to fight the intruder who is slaughtering their clan. I don't remember putting the mask of the weasle back on, but when I took it off to reveal myself, their faces were almost hilarious! My mother had a confused, unsure expression, which quickly turned to horror as she realized I was the one taking everyone out. My father's was simply that of fright, then inextinguishable anger._

_They were about to take a step forward to defend themselves when they realized I wasn't alone. They were extremely unsure now. Wouldn't you be if you had to fight for your life against your genius son and one of the oldest, most powerful demons alive?_

_My father broke out of his stupor first ,"Uchiha Madara." He says looking up at my transparent sensei. Madara simply nodded his head in acknowledgement before going off to the side to watch as I take my time killing them. My father charges first, aiming his katana at my neck, sharingan spinning wildly. I duck under his sharp weapon to slice into his abdomen. This would only hurt him, and let him know that I am truly intending to kill him in cold blood. This is when it became serious._

_He fought hard, bouncing back to protect my mother when I got too close, trying to make me think she wasn't a threat. I was completely aware of how powerful she was, and I watched as she eyed Madara warily gripping her own katana with sharingan taking everything in. Right as I was about to finish my father, she jumps up and attacks in the strangest way, her form looked so foreign compared to that of an Uchiha attack. Pushing my katana under my fathers chin and into his brain(to end things on a quick, pleasant note), I turn in horror as I find that she's not after me, but my sensei, the one I am destined to be with. My face changes completely into my most feared form as I race after her airborn being, quickly getting ahead of her and put my katana up making her impale herself. My face was in shock as I look upon her features, once onyx orbs trapped in mangekyou with deep black surrounding her eyes similar to a bandit's mask. Her skin had a sickly palour to it and her teeth and nails were elongated in an almost beast like way._

_I look back at my sensei for an explanation only to find him with very similar features looking upon something in the doorway. I follow his eyes and find a short sillouette of a boy and the salty scent of tears… I looked back to my master for some kind of help, only to back away after laying eyes on him._

_Madara's mask had been removed to reveal not a ghostly form, but a very physical one. That wasn't the only problem, though. The structure of my sensei's face had changed, and I could feel my eyes widen, taking in the slightly foreign appearance of his face._

_A once comforting appearance(atleast in my oppinion) had become more beastly than my mother's. Sensei had the same skin, white as could possibly be, and his hands had gained long, deadly claws that were now caressing my face with feather-light touches. I follow the long arm up to his face with my eyes and bite the inside of my lip as we make brief eye contact. I can't seem to keep my gaze even and my eyes drop to his mouth. I chew my lip a bit harder when he smirks, then reveals long, white teeth, then licked his lips and closed his mouth in a frown. Why did his smile fade? Itachi swallowed, not sure what to think of this, before noticing that those eyes had stopped looking into his and were now looking toward the door way where a shadow morphed._

_Itachi's neck almost snapped as he whipped his head back to Sasuke, only to find that the crying child had grown into a tall, dark and deadly weapon, pulling out his own katana and pointing it towards his older brother..._

That had to be one of the weirdest memory-like dreams I've had of that incident. I mean, sure, my mother is always the one to do weird shit like that in the corner, but she's never been that active in the dream. But Madara-sensei is never even in them, so that probably explains most of the insanity.

(POV change)

He frowned at the fact that Sasuke was in it. That was usually the part that made Itachi wake up in a frenzy. He hated the image of a heartbroken Sasuke standing there scared and confused, but at least this dream didn't go there. The end of it was what made his brain hurt...

Itachi got up, stripped and got in the shower to wash away the dream.

After he got out, dried off and changed into some decent clothing, he waltzed into the main room and turned on the plasma screen. Oh yeah, he kept up with technology. He found the news channel for lack of something better to watch and needing to keep up with the humans. The woman on the screen at first had a serious face, finishing a report about some gruesome crime scene, at which Itachi scoffed. Then her face changed all together as she began a cheerful rant about school just starting up and how the students were kicking off the new school year.

Itachi flashed back to his schooling and grimaced. The Uchiha clan council refused to let him attend a school with other creatures, even fellow Uchiha. He grew up alone and isolated, only able to bond socially(if you could call it that) with his private teachers, and for a short time, his friend Shisui.

Itachi winced, 'Well, those bonds ended in a healthy manner... nothing says _'Thanks for being my friend!'_ like mass murder..."

Would he have been any different if he had associated with other Uchiha? Other clans? Humans?

Would Sasuke?

He didn't want Sasuke to go through life the way he did. Itachi's human life was aged at twenty-four, a time when most have a healthy social and love life, human or not. The only friends that Itachi had obtained were through an organization that killed people for money and power... As for his love-life, it was non-existent. He and one of his two friends slept together simply to relieve tension.

He didn't want assassination and business-booty-calls in his brother's future...

He was brainstorming when he tuned back into the news. Perhaps high school is a good way to have Sasuke grow a soul...

Itachi's brow twitched in thought as he mumbled to himself."Sasuke is still younger looking, I mean he hasn't started the process of freezing yet, he's still growing. I could get him to go to school like others his age... He probably won't want to be surrounded by humans though… But the Hyuuga's younglings attend teachings at private schools, so there has to be other clans that do so. Maybe he won't be so..._dark_ once he has companions. I for one was a lot less lonely once I joined Akatsuki and met Deidara and Kisame…"

Itachi leaned back on the sofa, turning the television off to think.

"This could be good. There are no young insiders in the Akatsuki and there are bound to be all sorts of creatures and enemies that have their own claws dug into the youth of the more secret organizations, and where else would clans send their youth to manifest?…"

It was settled. Uchiha Sasuke was going to Highschool in a mission to blend in with the humans, find clan-youth involved in any organizations and to make him less of a soul-sucking bastard.

Itachi gave an evil smirk. It had been awhile since he could mess with his little brother. First, though, he had to find him.

Itachi grabbed his keys and walked to his car, driving off into the evening with a strange feeling in his gut.

**Oh. My. Self. What's gonna happen? D;**

**I think this chapter is WAY too short, but hey, its kind of a prologue! Anyways, was it any good? Please review! I need it!**

**~SabakuXNoXSalem**


	2. Do You Believe In Ghosts?

**Hey, Chapter two~ So last time, Itachi had decided he was going to his next Akatsuki meeting with Sasuke as a secret spy to creep around at an integrated school of youth where Akatsuki has little intel on. Sasuke = intel. School = potential friendship. Friendship= Not-douche Sasuke. Itachi loves math:)**

**Chapter Two!: Do you believe in ghosts?**

* * *

**(Sasuke POV)**

I walked to the forest where the 'spirit' told me to go, holding an old spell book, searching for some creepy, undiscovered shrine on an old dead tree. It had been maybe two weeks since Itachi showed up at Orochimaru's layer, knocked me out, then brought me here. He obviously wasn't aware that I knew what really happened, about the 'massacre', but there isn't much I can do about it now. I'll have to talk to him later, I had a job that had to be done.

I was being led by a mean black cat with deep crimson eyes. The ghostly spirit-thing told me to look for onyx waters with the carvings of a fox and an Uchiha messenger around them. At first I thought "What the hell. This guy is old beyond belief." But then I realized how dead on that assumption was and that he probably is old beyond belief. This thought is both fascinating and incredibly intimidating. Demons stopped calling them Uchiha messengers after the Egyptian times. The Ancient Egyptian times. Now they're called cats. Of course the Uchiha felines aren't your average cat, but it's still a cat.

I continue to follow the demonic cat to awaken Uchiha Madara. I'm pretty much obligated to do what he asks of me, even if it weren't in my nature to keep my word to an elder of the Uchiha line. He's protected me from a large majority of the weird experiments and tests Orochimaru wanted me to perform for him, not to mention all of the things he told me about my brother.

I look up into the night sky. 'Itachi…'

I would never have went to Orochimaru to train in order to kill you. If only I had known, I could have escaped before it was too late, but his power got the best of me.

I sigh as I remember the masked ghost telling me why Itachi really eliminated the Uchiha clan. I had been in my room in Orochimaru's lair, thanking whatever gods that had somehow stopped Orochimaru's hand before the needle filled with heaven knows what pierced my flesh. This had been happening a lot, at least every time Orochimaru tried something that would alter my DNA more than he already has or mess with the sharingan. I was damn thankful.

"Yo." Was the first thing I heard from him.

I sat up faster than I ever have in my screwed up life, and I searched the entire room, sharingan spinning wildly. Honestly I must have looked completely insane.

Just as I was about to stop searching and lay back down, his masked face practically materialized in front of me. My eyes narrow slightly and naturally I grab my katana and slice through him, only to do just that; slice through him. He simply looks down, then looks at me while putting a finger where his mouth would be in a 'be quiet' gesture before he sits next to my shocked form and begins a conversation as if he were some kind of old friend. I then come to be informed that he kind of is, and he seemed a bit shocked that I didn't remember him.

_ "That's a bit strange…" He had a deep, smooth voice that seemed a bit on the playful side. "Do you remember anything at all about being with the Uchihas? I mean, how can you not remember me, Sasu-chan?" I scowl at his little nick-name, but he continues his rant. "I housed you! Your brother was glued to me and you were glued to your brother! You remember your brother, correct?" I nod affirmatively but he pauses._

"_What all do you remember of living with the Uchiha clan?" _

_I stay silent. _

_ All I can honestly remember is Itachi being brotherly, my parents over-looking me to instead praise Itachi, Itachi praising me and taking care of me, and then the massacre…None of this about My brother and I living with some strange ghost-psycho..._

_I tell Madara so, whispering, convinced that he's in my head, and excluding the part about calling him a ghost-psycho, and his demeanor changes. He seems serious and contemplative, then he disappears for days._

_ Next time I see him is right after an assassination mission from Orochimaru. He creeps up on me once again, wearing the same enchanted armor with his hair flying wildly around whipping against his mask._

"_Yo." I whip around and I'm once again in his face. _

"_Gods! Is that all you can say?" I whisper harshly. I clear my throat and collect myself before asking in a calm, stoic voice. "What do you want?"_

_ He laughs a bit before replying, "We had a one-sided conversation last time I visited you, Sasu-chan. You have a pleasant voice, by the way. I haven't heard it since you were a child, it reminds me of your older brother's voice." He trails off with a slightly dreamy look on his face._

_What a weirdo… _

_ As if hearing my thoughts, his expression is masked and he continues. "Speaking of that, what all do you know of 'The Uchiha Massacre'?" He trails off, rolling his eyes. _

"_Itachi killed the clan in order to test his power."_

"_Wrong." _

"_Wro-? What the hell do you know about my family?" I'll admit, I over-reacted a bit. Only a bit._

" _I know what really happened, **that** is what I know. I was there. I _am_ family." At this I pause, waiting for him to go on. _

"_Your brother didn't do it to test his power, he was completely aware of how deadly he was. I made sure he knew-" I inwardly made a face, that sounded strangely perverted to me. "-as his sensei. I taught him almost everything he knows." Oh. _

"_He actually had two reasons. One was that the Demonic Council ordered him to, seeing no one else fit. The task probably been assigned to me if it weren't for the damned fox incident…" My eyebrow lifts at this, I had made enough facial expressions today, and he takes notice._

"_Fox incident?" He almost laughs. _

"_Orochimaru really fucked up your head there, huh? I suppose I should have got here sooner!" My eyes narrow at the vulgar, if not inappropriate language. It seems weird coming from someone so old, but then again this man's movements are even odd._

_He continues. _

"_I suppose it's reasonable though, It happened a while before the massacre and you don't seem to remember anything of importance before that." He pauses, probably trying to remember where he trailed off. "Anyways, the Uchiha were getting far too powerful and with so many bringing back-" He paused, as if trying to find the proper words. "… 'Old ways', they were causing a little trouble. No one would expect Uchiha Fugaku's first born so it was practically fool-proof."_

_My teeth grind together, "And Itachi had absolutely no qualms about murdering his entire family? Even his sensei?" _

_I couldn't see his face, but I had a feeling he was looking at me like I was retarded._

"_I'm not a fucking ghost. Itachi didn't kill me, the fucking councils sealed me! I was there because I was in this form, taking back our blood. My blood." He seemed to be speaking in code, but I couldn't sense any lies..._

_My gaze hardened as I take this in. "You killed them too? What is wrong with you bastards? I understand a freak like you going bat-shit, but how could Itachi kill them all? Our father and mother?"_

_He suddenly returned to his strange bouncy indifference._

"_Ah, and then there's reason number two. Itachi wasn't only aware of the Uchiha's corruption, he witnessed it first-hand within your very house-hold. He knew if he simply killed the family heads than their descendents would be after him and most of all… you!"_

_I'm about to argue that Itachi has never cared for me when Madara speaks again._

"_I have only seen Itachi close to losing himself once." At this, I actually do make an expression, my face contorting into slight shock. Itachi? Master of controlling emotion? When an Uchiha demon 'loses themselves' it's similar to how a human reacts to trauma, their mind completely shuts down and they are on auto pilot. Either we completely shut off and are almost unresponsive, or we become manic and have no control of our actions. That's one of the theories that I had when I asked myself how Itachi could have slaughtered everyone... What could've hurt Itachi so?_

"_What… happened?"_

_ His mask faces down, as if he's looking at the floor. Then, he speaks almost mournfully. "I was walking through the Uchiha complex on my way to where I reside. When I got to my door I saw Itachi beating on it, clawing at the wood, crying. I called to him and he flung himself at me in hysterics. He explained to me that he found your parents in your room as you slept ready to tear their throats out." _

"_So? Everyone fights." I say, downplaying the situation._

"_Over who gets to kill and eat their youngest son? No, I didn't think so. Itachi went in confronted them and threatened to kill himself if they didn't leave the room. I calmed him down and from then on you slept in my home, which is why I was a bit shocked at you not remembering me." He trails off, almost miffed. " But anyways, He killed the Uchiha clan so they wouldn't kill you. In my day, warriors ate the hearts of their defeated enemy, some ate the hearts of people because they thought it strengthened them. Your parents were apart of that era. They already had one son of great importance, so what was the use in an extra child carrying around prized blood practically begging to be devoured?"_

I threw up.

Madara made an awkward joke about being happy he wasn't a physical being when my vomit ended up where he was standing. Apparently, his armor became as ghostly as he was when he wished, so things like people vomiting in his general vicinity were no big deal. As if he weren't strange enough...

I get knocked out of the memory as I trip over the cat that had been leading me. He gives an angry hiss before climbing a tree almost frantically- A tree with a cat and an angry demon fox carved at the bottom, right above the dark hole in the ground next to the tree. I look into the hole to find that its more of an underground spring or pond… with murky black water.

"…Found it."

I open the book to the page with the summoning spell. He couldn't just show up here like he could everywhere else for some reason, something about punishment. After what he did for me, I was in no position to ask questions.

When I find the page, I read off what I'm supposed to say, cutting my hand and letting it drip across the summoning markings on my arm. At first I thought it would be quick and painless… that is until my arm felt like it was being slowly dipped into some kind of acid.

"Gah! ...F-ff!" I swallow a curse.

When he finally appears, out of my arm surprisingly, he looks around as if he's astonished that I actually kept my word, then he looks at me asking, "Hey, you alright Sasu-chan?"

"Hn." Is all I can say without disrespecting him. "Why did I have to summon you through a seal?"

He quirks his head to the side, "The only way that I am allowed to function in the Uchiha complex is through a messenger. I normally would not be able to hold this form unless summoned, and who in their right mind would summon Uchiha Madara?" I can't help but glare. I'm totally in my right mind...

I huff and let my curiosity get the best of me, finding something odd. "What do you mean 'through a messenger'?"

He looks at me as if it were obvious. "I take the form of a feline. It's the only way I can feel properly, but as soon as I leave Uchiha grounds, I am forced back into this state. It is also the other way around. As soon as I enter the Uchiha grounds I am forced into a messenger form." Kami, this guy is screwed up.

I nod, educated and satisfied, and pick the book up off of the ground, not putting it on my now-sore arm. I look back at him to see him pulling off the top part of his armor, apparently preparing to float through the tree. I just quirk an eyebrow and repeat this spell, this time not having to sacrifice the comfort of a limb. When I look up from the latin text, I see that I was correct, and he was slowly floating through the carvings. He was about half way through when I hear, "Sasuke?" from a few feet away.

I look to my left to see my older brother slightly running toward me. "Aniki…" Is all I can say as he gets closer. When he gets within arms length he looks as if he's about to embrace me, but he pauses and looks around. He sees the end of Madara's foot float into the tree and looks at the strange clothing on the floor next to the bottom of the tree.

"Sasuke," He pauses to give me what I thought would be a 'you're in trouble' face, but is much more panicked and serious. "What is going on? What just happened?" I stay silent. I haven't had to answer to my older brother in a long time.

He walks over to the end of the tree and picks up the clothing, looking into the tree-spring. Strangely enough, he smells the armor before his face takes on an expression of recognition, then shock before looking at me with accusing eyes.

That has to be the most expression I've ever seen on that man in my life.

"What did you just do? How did you get these clothes?" He was angry, clutching the clothes to his chest. I'm scared. He looks panicked, and furious, but also confused. He gets up and charges towards me but stops, seeing the book. He picks it up looking at me, flipping through the pages because my make-shift bookmark fell out. While he's busy with this, the water behind him bubbles up a bit before being still again. Itachi turns to watch the waters with me just as a head surfaces with a gasp and a mop of hair practically everywhere.

Itachi steps back, watching cautiously as Madara pulls himself out of the water, sopping wet with only a silky black robe. He stands and looks himself over, putting his hands in front of him and flexing them with a slightly insane looking smile.

When he sees us he gives a greeting. "Sasu-chan… Itachi."

I hear Itachi inhale through his nose and when I look back he wears an apprehensive expression. When Madara approaches, Itachi steps back slightly and I almost blanch. How powerful could this Madara be that even Itachi is unsure? Then I think about what Madara told me. This man was Itachi's sensei, they have a history together and Itachi never was good with bonds.

Not many Uchiha were.

Madara notices Itachi's reaction and gets closer as if to tease him. He looks over Itachi's body and smiles.

"Itachi, you've grown so well! You are as tall as I am!" This reminds me of a human's family reunion, that is until Madara get about an inch from Itachi's face with his hand against his forehead. I stand there slightly behind Itachi watching as he ever so slowly forces himself to relax. He seems to struggle with what he wants to do in this situation before backing out of Madara's personal bubble and facing me.

**(Itachi POV)**

I hope Sasuke didn't see me tense up. I honestly don't know what to think with this situation. As soon as I saw him surface, my body reacted. I wanted to be close to him, to touch him. As if that didn't freak me out, he says my name and I begin to feel strange. When he approaches I feel like I'm using all my power to keep still, then he gets close to 'see how tall I am'. Lies. He probably feels exactly what I am only he saw it coming and he's teasing me about it. When he talks I can feel his breathe against my lips and I have to back away.

This is happening too fast, even for me. Madara is a man, and a relative at that. In this day and age, that was pretty messed up.

I notice Madara looking around in a paranoid way, Sasuke just watching me. No one has said anything since Madara last spoke.

I break the heavy silence. "You can't be here physically, you know that… Sensei." It felt weird saying that in front of Sasuke.

He gives me that crazy grin before grabbing Sasuke and I by the arm and racing back the way I came.

He turned to us saying, "Which is why we have to get the hell out of Japan!" Then he turns around and focuses on following the scent I left behind me. What an animal.

My body tingles where he is touching my arm, dragging me along with him. I inwardly cringe at the fact that he's still completely covered in that black… stuff. It seems like some kind of oil, perhaps the kind that Uchiha's pampered themselves with in the Egyptian times, but it smells strongly of blood, as if it were a mix of the two.

Either way, after so many years in a tree well, neither of the two smell as pleasant as they once did.

As we get dragged, I can only wonder how Sasuke found the Uchiha book in my hand... Madara's possessions were supposed to be destroyed, and this had to be one of his most powerful possessions...

Madara slows to a stop and looks on with his head tilted to the side, then looks back at me. "What- Your scent ends at that thing." He says nodding his head towards my car, before sniffing me to make sure he was following the right trail.

"That's my car. They had those when you had your body back for a short period of time, during the Fox attack." Sasuke had an 'are you serious?' face before I mouth 'He's very old.' to him.

Madara just rolls his eyes at me before saying, "I know, I've just never been in one. What's the point when I can practically materialize anywhere I want?"

"You're not some ghost anymore, you can't just teleport now." Sasuke interjects.

"Actually, yes, he can." Sasuke lifts a brow. "It's just something he can do. He and I have a knack for dimension manipulation, similar to your Amaterasu manipulation." I then look to Madara. "He _is_ right, though. Humans are kept in the dark about us, so seeing as how we now have to practically go undercover thanks to you-" I eye both him and Sasuke. "- You're going to have to be able to blend in with the humans. No flying through doors unless it's just us."

Sasuke seemed to get the humor in my statement and gave a snort.

"That's understandable." Madara did not.

He slowly approached the car, running his fingers across it, pleased that he could feel again. I imagine you forget how to do so after practically being a ghost.

Sasuke had already claimed the inalienable right to shot gun so Madara was going to have to climb in by lifting the driver's seat. He decided this was too much work and phased through the car. He was still wet from the death-pond. Yuck.

We began the semi-long drive back home in silence before Madara looks at me through the rear view and says, "Dear God! I haven't eaten anything since Kyuubi!"

"Actually I'm a bit hungry myself…" Sasuke mumbles, somewhat confused about Madara's references.

"Then it's settled. Itachi, pull over near that group of humans. Do they still offer sacrifices?"

I roll my eyes at his half-joke, but play along to mess with Sasuke."They stopped that in Japan about two hundred years ago, sensei." Sasuke just gives him a 'What the hell' face. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Must mean he feels safe with us. That's nice.

"There are no quick places open this late, at least none that will give you real meat, which is what I assume you will prefer. Let me fill up on gas and we'll stop at a sushi bar and get hibachi."

We drive a bit longer before Sasuke points out a gas station. I was going to just leave Madara in the back, but he almost phased through the car before I grabbed his hair at the last moment whispering, "Sensei!" harshly.

He hissed when I tugged his hair and got in his face. "There are at least five humans in that convenience store. You will blend in." His eyes alternated between my eyes and mouth before I let go of him and he crawled through the seats in my car to get out. He was being a bit submissive, which seemed odd, and it wasn't helping me resist my body's urges to be… 'close' with him.

It wasn't until we walked in and the manager eyed us strangely that I realized there was something out of place. Sasuke was wearing what looked to be his mission clothes while Madara was wearing… a damp robe-like thing.

I almost face-palm. The key word being '_almost_'...

I walk over to him just as he pulls down the lever of a slushee machine and gets it all over his hand. I push the lever back up and we have a glaring contest before his eyebrow lifts and he brings his hand up and licks the slushee off his index finger and takes his middle and ring finger into his mouth. My eyes narrow dangerously.

Sensei groans, and I discover my favorite sound. He makes eye-contact with me, then pushes his fingers deeper into his mouth, sucking. At first, I'm sure he's trying to seduce me, but I soon realize that is the last thing on his mind. "This tastes fantastic!" He moves to put more in his hand before Sasuke stops him and gets a large cup, filling it to the top with cherry slushee, places a lid on top and shoves it into Madara's hand with a straw.

"Pay for gas and let's get out the hell out of here before this retard breaks something." And he stalks of, glares at the manager, pushes open the door, and dramatically gets in the car.

I had to laugh a bit.

Madara doesn't really seem to give a shit about the situation, or Sasuke's sass for that matter, happily sucking down his drink, looking around the store. After pulling my sensei out of the gas-station by the hair, we finally make our way to the car to depart for the Hibachi bar.

Madara walked through my windshield and into the back seat. The cashier only gaped, open-mouthed.

This time, as out of character as it seemed, I did face-palm. No _'almost'_ about it.

**So I have this new WORD-processor thing to replace Microsoft word and the format is soooooo weird... So pardon the most likely awkward format of the story, I have yet to get the hang of it...**

**I already have like two more chapters typed out, just not separated, so don't hate me completely...**

**I still have to edit soooo much but if you read and review then I would love you forever and update faster :D**

**Plus it motivates me. Even a 'Hey. I'm readin' your story. Update' would be just fine! I would even send you a 3 **

**R&R?**

**~SaLEm**


	3. What's Your Secret?

**Chapter Two Recap: So, Family reunion. Sasuke knows why Itachi killed the family, a blurry link between Madara and Itachi is established, Madara climbs out of a puddle and all three skip happily to a gas station where Madara discovers slushees and scars a poor cashier for life. :)**

**Chapter Three~**

**What's Your Secret?**

**(Itachi POV)**

After I buy gas it takes about fifteen minutes to get to the sushi bar. Before we exit the car, Sasuke takes the liberty of telling Madara to play it cool and stop looking so fascinated with everything because it was making our group look weird.

Translation: _"Quit freaking out, bro, you're messin' my swag." _

Oh yeah, I speak 'teenager'. I'm almost fluent.

While we walk, I observe my relatives. Sasuke seems suspicious of Madara, or maybe he's just annoyed. He's probably wondering how this 'dunce' could possibly be an Uchiha. I think for a bit about whether or not telling Sasuke about Madara would be a good idea. Sensei is a rather sensitive and secretive subject for me and I'm not exactly the most trusting person in the first place. Sensei is one thing that belongs to me and only me, he's the only one who understands how I think, so I'm not sure I'm ready to give anyone, even Sasuke, a glimpse into that part of my being...

I see Sasuke glaring at Madara while he balances on his toes, trying to find a comfortable way to walk.

I watch a little longer before I turn to Sasuke, Madara lagging behind, "He's not normally like that. He hasn't had a body outside of the Uchiha complex in centuries."

"What do you mean by 'outside of the Uchiha complex'?" Sasuke asks, narrowing his eyes.

Now its my turn to be suspicious. I'm unsure whether or not Sasuke's lack of knowledge of the Uchiha is due to Madara's with-holding of information or from all of the fucked up things I'm sure Orochimaru did to him.

Uchihas are capable of immortality, which is why I had to seal my family's souls into an urn. When you are born for the _first_ time, you grow and begin what we call a freezing process anywhere from late teens to early thirties, whichever age you freeze at, you remain until something or someone kills you, then you reincarnate with your memories from past life intact.

Sasuke doesn't seem to have any memories of the past, and he's only been born once.

Madara and I should be very prominent in his memories.

"He had a real body for all of maybe three years before he tried to take down the whole demon empire with a tailed beast." We walk into the restaurant and Madara and I casually seat ourselves while Sasuke plops down wide-eyed, absorbing what seams to be new information. I figured Madara left out the 'little details' of his imprisonment. There was definitely going to be an argument...

I continue for the sake of Sasuke's mental health. "I became his student shortly before this incident, simply because I was still young and was the most powerful of all of the students and had already defeated most of the mentors within our complex. He was the only other Uchiha that was powerful enough to teach me anything new."

Then the council thought it would benefit the clan to bond us. We've been 'fiancés' since shortly before the Kyuubi incident seeing as how we were the only people who could handle one another, but like hell I was telling Sasuke that.

Come to think of it, I can feel the bond-mark tingling a bit, probably because my 'mate' is so near after such a long time. The mark was burned onto my neck with a strange metal utensil that had been set and heated with our clans fire technique, and when we… consummated the bond, we were to bite the other directly around the scar, placing irrevocable ownership.

I guess without knowing I did so, I put my hand upon the tattoo-like marking on my jugular.

"What's that?" Sasuke asks suspiciously. He wouldn't know anything about it but he didn't look like he was asking out of innocent curiosity. When I notice my hand is there I retract it as inconspicuously as possible, but someone else had decided to tune back into our conversation.

"What's what?" says Madara in an almost innocent voice.

I swear he has some kind of personality disorder because he was a very reserved, and serious teacher when I was younger.

He grabs my hand and looks back at my neck with narrowed eyes before they abruptly widen and he looks away with an awkward "Oh…". He seems to be really embarrassed about this because he's completely quiet as we are getting looking over at the sushi bar. Now Sasuke has a reason to wear a suspicious face.

We sit at a table that comes off of the bar, Sasuke and I sitting next to each other while Madara sat across from us looking at the selection. An annoyingly happy attendant there tells us that a cook will be with us shortly before walking away.

I watched as Madara looked hungrily at the other meals on the grills. He looked… 'cute' to me. The way he's been acting is slightly endearing in my opinion, probably just because of the fact that he's mine, because if he were another person, I would find this behavior annoying. This feeling was foreign to me, and I felt so awkward admiring a man, a relative, my sensei, this way.

I sat there observing his strange quirks, the way his hair fell into his face, or how he squinted his nose when he didn't like something, but then he bit his lip, that's when I had to turn away.

-Only to find Sasuke watching my every move. We stare at each other for a bit before he looks forward.

That's right, Aniki always wins.

I can still feel his eyes on me, on the mark to be exact. He narrowed his eyes and said, "You still haven't answered my question." Sasuke said, glaring. Since when is he _this_ stubborn. He paused in his glare, before leaning forward, lifting his hand so he could feel it. " It looks painfu-"

"_Don't touch it!" _ Was hissed across the table, but it wasn't me. Madara was holding Sasuke's wrist in an iron grip, teeth bared.

All eyes at the bar were wide.

Especially the cook's, who had just made his way over to our part of the bar.

The woman came back with a forced smile. "Is everything alright?" she asks, eyes wide with false-perkiness.

Madara's eyes are still trained on Sasuke, who's eyes are trained on Madara's bright red sharingan. He looked vicious and it for some reason made me feel good to know that someone didn't want to share me. I only belonged to Madara-sama. What an odd feeling.

"Madara-sama." Is all I have to say for him to let go of Sasuke and look to the waitress as if nothing is amiss. He puts on a casual, if not seductive, face and plays it off. It would have worked too… If the woman hadn't noticed that all Madara was wearing was a cloak.

"Excuse me sir, but are you… decent under tha-" Sasuke interrupts her, "Of course, ma'am, we just got back from a late dress rehearsal for a play, hence our clothing." He pops his collar a bit to show off his equally strange outfit, then activates sharingan. "I would appreciate if minimal attention was brought to our apparel." He finishes in a convincingly seductive voice.

Her eyes are a bit hazy, an effect of the illusion he set on her. "Yes sir…" She says in a light, breathy voice, walking away.

"Way to think on your feet, otouto."

The rest of the night went fairly well. We ate and drove back home in silence, if you don't count Madara's pleading for another slushee.

In this family, it is best to ignore any problems until it is a complete necessity to address them.

When we got back to the Uchiha complex I stopped them from going off into the house.

"We need to talk." I say, looking at them seriously. I look at Sasuke first. "What reason did you have to return him to his body ?" I knew it was insensitive to talk like Madara wasn't there, but when has Uchiha Itachi been all that sensitive anyway? I had to get my fierce name back.

Sasuke looked at me with a blank face, before opening his mouth. "Because he told me everything." He said quietly.

"Everything?" _Everything? _ I can only hope that he kept our bond quiet...

"…Why you really eliminated the clan. He also kept Orochimaru from making me into anymore of a lab-rat. I was only re-paying him." He replies somberly. "Itachi, if I would have known-" I glare, cutting off his apology.

There was an awkward silence. I turned to Madara.

"You're not supposed to have a body. You manipulated Sasuke, you didn't tell him. Did you think I wouldn't notice your behavior? How paranoid you've been acting? 'Let's flee Japan!' Sure, Sasuke wouldn't notice, he doesn't know you like I do, but you can't hide from me.-"He lifts his head to meet my unhappy gaze. "This little 'resurrection' stunt has probably set off every emergency regimen that the council has. There will be search parties for 'The Great Uchiha Madara' by sunrise. You used Sasuke, manipulated him, tricked him into setting you free when he didn't even know why you were imprisoned in the first place." His expression went from a child-like timidness to an intimidating mask within seconds. Sasuke looked slightly betrayed but kept his face straight as well, probably no longer trusting Madara as much at the word '_manipulated'._

I continued, informing them about why I went to search for Sasuke in the first place, and how with the new situation they had gotten themselves into, relocation was mandatory.

Sasuke's eyes widened almost comically. "School? Are you serious?" He didn't seem to like this idea. "This is a joke, humans don't even take high school seriously! I know all about the human world, Orochimaru had me go out on missions all the fucking time. I've already been around half the world, I speak three languages, I know all about computers, maths, literature, I've _lived_ through the history and it's impossible to live with Orochimaru and _not_ know science like the back of your freaking hand. I hate humans. They are blind and stupid. I don't want to spend every business day with them."

He doesn't seem to understand the situation. This was getting frustrating. "Well I hope one of those languages is English, because we're going to America. It was simply an idea at first, but now since you've gone 'repaying debts'," I glanced at Madara before looking back to my brother. "-We have to go or face the council. As you know, last time they spoke to me, I killed our family, I don't feel like having them drop by to get what little 'family' I have left."

Exhale, Itachi, Breathe…

"Now, I have to go to California for personal reasons, Madara can't be in Japan, and Orochimaru is surely on his way here with an undead army of mutant-hell-snakes to come take back his favorite little Uchiha. Get together what little shit you have left here and get ready, we're catching a plane at six in the morning. Get packing."

With that, I walk off to my room leaving them to gather their things.

**(Madara POV)**

My first thought after I hear Itachi's door slam is: _'Damn, I like it when he's angry.'_

I look to Sasuke to see him clenching his jaw. Poor kid, he comes home to his brother for the first time in years only for this to happen. Itachi is only stressed because of my arrival, and naturally this whole situation is my fault... Well, I guess I have to fix this…

I make up an excuse to go into Itachi's room. "I'll be back with some clothes you can wear."

The walk down this familiar hallway wasn't as comforting as I first thought. Itachi has been living in _my _house this whole time.

I got to his door, the same one he used as a charge in my care, and twisted the door knob.

"Itachi…" I spoke softly, walking over to his hunched figure.

He sat on the bed with his hair undone and his fingers running through it. I take a seat next to him and run my own hands through the soft locks, sighing as he leans into me. The last time we were this close was when I had my body for that short period of time before it was taken again as punishment. It had been three years that I had been returned to my body, and unleashed my plan to take over with the Kyuubi. The council as well as the Uchiha clan had decided to bond me and Itachi... Intimately I suppose you could say, or as 'mates', mostly for political reasons. With Itachi still being a youngling, all they could do was burn my insignia on him, and his on me. In the completed ceremony, one would bite the other directly around the mark while 'in bed'.

Now that Itachi has frozen in his aging process, his body is reacting to my presence.

He has grown tall and strong and it for some reason excites me to think that he could pose me a threat in battle, or in other situations, but I wasn't going to let him know that...

I moved my hand and when Itachi turned around, he had the eyes of someone who could strike fear in a God.

His face was a deadly blank mask, no muscles twitching, no expression in his lifeless eyes. It was so emotionless that it made you feel almost as if you were being taunted, like you weren't worth an expression. It wasn't calm and serene or even content. There was nothing-

And when he left this room and departed for the airport, Sasuke would recognize him not as his loving brother, but as the man who had killed his entire family without blinking.

I fought down a mirthful grin. That's my boy.

I told myself that I came in here to fix this, to fix Itachi, but there was no helping this situation. Apparently this reunion took a bit of a toll on Itachi's psych, a tad too emotionally draining for an Uchiha with little emotion to begin with.

He stalked to his closet and pulled out some black jeans, a crimson shirt with some strange tribal-like designs and threw them at me.

For some reason, I'm beginning to feel nauseous, but I mask my discomfort as Itachi approaches.

"Wear this, you and Sasuke will have to borrow my clothes for a while until we get everything settled into our next living establishment. You sure as hell can't live alone and I brought Sasuke back for a reason. You were an unexpected bump in the road." He states coldly, and it makes me shiver with delight.

Then he walked out of the room with another outfit for Sasuke.

Any lesser person probably would have stabbed themselves in the chest to stop the pain of Itachi's words, but I knew Itachi better than anyone else. He'll be back to teasing Sasuke and fighting with me in no time. He was just taking out his frustration on an easy target.

Fair enough, who's to say I didn't like a little pain, hmm?

**(Sasuke POV)**

I was looking at the floor from the couch, still in my sweaty mission uniform, when he walked in and carelessly tossed some outfit in my lap.

I looked up and saw the one thing that terrified me most; the look of nothingness, the complete expression, or lack thereof, of emptiness being aimed at me, his worthless shadow.

This wasn't going to work out.

As he walks away, I hear Karin's voice in the back of my mind. '_He's coming, Sasuke-kun.'_

I thought for a bit. Well, if Itachi wanted me to blend in with humans, it was best to look like I had some friends, right?

So, I called the upon the only people who have ever watched my back.

'_How do you and the rest of our team feel about California? Good? Good, because that's where you are going to be by tomorrow._'

It's best not to leave room for objection when dealing with people.

**(Naruto POV)**

"**Sakura, my love for you is like a thousand- **wait,- **Burns like-** Pfft! Hahaha!" I couldn't hold in my laughter, and apparently, neither could Gaara or Sakura.

"No! That's not how you say it! Okay, my turn." Gaara said, barely holding in his chuckles. He took a deep breath and let his sea foam green eyes turn into a dull yellow, letting the raccoon's psychotic voice ring through Sakura's room.

"_**Sakura! My love for you burns with a passion of a thousand suns! Kekke ke!**_" Oh yeah, all of us had drank at least seven too many, everything felt so warm and hazy.

The three of us were sitting in Sakura's room, all clad in goofy sleep wear. We had decided to switch pajamas. Sakura with her long pink hair pulled into a messy bun with her bangs framing her pretty, alcohol-blushed face didn't quite mesh well with my bright orange and grey camouflage boxers. She had my grey wife beater falling off her shoulder, giggly madly at the voice of our demons confessing love to her.

I was wearing Gaara's black '_I'm not a freaking emo.' _shirt and his sand-castle print PJ pants (I bought them for him at Christmas as a joke because he was the sand raccoon demon. It's funny. Yeah, he didn't laugh much either…).

Honestly, Gaara had to be the funniest looking person out of all of us. He was wearing Sakura's black and pink Lady Gaga tank top with some hot pink booty shorts and Sakura's kitty slippers. He had to have drank the most out of all of us. Apparently he and Kankurou had gotten into an argument and he decided to leave, only to run into his cousin Sasori and almost get into a physical fight. This just wasn't his night.

We usually crash at Sakura's when one of us is down. As lame as it sounds, these guys are my best friends and know everything about me, and vice-verse. Sakura knew all about us being hosts, our home-lives, school lives and just about everything good and bad, and she still accepted us.

And here she was getting completely shit-faced with us in order to comfort our friend. What a pal.

"Okay, I wanna go!" She clears her throat, "Sakura, my love for you- wait, nothing happened! And _I'm _Sakura!" Her confused high-pitched voice squeaked with a hiccup. "That's not fair!"

She pouted.

"That's because you don't have monsters in your brain, bubblegum-head!" Gaara teased drunkenly. His normal voice was raspy and slightly underused giving him a scary edge when talking to others.

I laughed a bit and she pouted harder, only to look up and meet my eyes grinning that beautiful smile of hers. I met Sakura through Granny Tsunade. Sakura had been blessed with the strength of a beast and healing power from the same Japanese medicine man, Sarutobi, that Tsunade had.

He said that as long as her mind stayed strong and sweet, her body would as well, but the minute she betrayed a loved one for selfish intentions, her beauty would quickly fade and her body would deteriorate to its true form.

Which by now would probably be a corpse because she was about ninety years old. Who lived that long now-a-days, especially in L.A.?

I have to start calling her granny as well.

Sakura wasn't even her real name. She was of mixed culture so one couldn't really place her with a certain accent, and like many in our line of work, she was multilingual. All we knew about her was that Sarutobi had named her after the nature of her spirit. She couldn't tell anyone her real name or she would deteriorate just like if she betrayed us. After she was blessed, she said her skin had whitened, her eyes had turned green and her hair had turned bright pink. I always thought her features looked odd on her, but hey, who looked natural with pink hair anyways?

When I look up, I see a flash of red as Gaara glomps me. "Hey, big _boy_. 'ya lookin' fuh' a good time?" He slurred, breaking off into tired giggles. That statement would be a bit odd if we were strangers to casual sex with one another. He slurred something before letting his head fall between my legs. I yawned, not really in a very sexual mood. I had to admit, my eyes were getting heavy and the fox was getting tired of watching us be stupid.

Gaara giggled one last time before passing out on my stomach, his body slightly between my legs.

Sakura smiled lazily, her eyes almost closed. "We should hit the hay soon, too." I nod and tell her to grab the spare pillows out of the closet.

I carry Gaara's unconscious form to the queen sized bed, thinking about how this is probably the first time he's slept in weeks. I lay him back on top of me, his head lulling against my chest on my right side as Sakura climbs in the bed with the comforter, draping it over all of us.

She snuggled into my left side, slightly imitating Gaara before wishing a soft 'G'night, Nar'to' to me and passing out.

It was moments like this where I felt guilty about keeping things from Sakura. She was so sweet and understanding, but for some reason, I don't feel like she could ever understand why I hide my beasts true nature. I feel she would be scared if she knew I had triggers. That it talked to me all the time... Gaara understood my triggers because he was a vessel like me, but even he was weary when I told him the things Kyuubi showed me in my head... Everything I went through as the Kyuubi's body...

Yeah, Sakura would still love me, but I had more than one reason to keep my lips zipped...

I put my arm around her and snuggled my two most precious people close to me.

"Good night, guys." Falling asleep to Kyuubi's irritated grumblings and Gaara's soft snores.

**Oh no... Haha, yay. New Chapter! Anyways, what do you think? Theres gonna be some happy moments with these three, and probably some sad ones... -And secrets are going to come out! But when? Read and review? ~SaLEm**


	4. Keeping Up Appearances

**No reviews... :'C **

**Perhaps I update too fast? I kinda posted everything in like two days... Oh well:3**

**Chapter Three Recap: Some Madara back story revealed by Itachi, Sasuke starting to notice how odd the teacher-student relationship is, Uchihas not really getting along and Naruto and his gang are coming in! Stuff is about to go down... But, this one is mostly about the crazy history behind the Uchiha secrets... And its a long chapter, so if you aren't into those, You're weir- I mean, that sucks and I'm sorry...**

**Chapter Four~**

**Keeping Up Appearances**

**(Normal POV)**

Naruto's eyes open groggily. He grumbles a bit at the sound of his phone, notifying him that he had a text message.

'Well,' He thought, 'That's just gonna have to wait until my arms aren't occupied.' with a lazy smile, he turned on his right side, snuggling into the warmth that is Gaara, throwing his left arm and leg over the sleeping boy.

That's when he realized that his left arm was in fact no longer occupied by Sakura and that she was no longer at his side.

Click! Flash!

Naruto heard a far-too-happy giggle from across the room. He let Gaara free to turn around and see Sakura up with a camera and a coffee to nurse her hangover.

She grinned mischievously, "Oh, how adorable! I'm sure this picture will be a big hit in the school newspaper! Think, in about two weeks people will be cooing at how cute and cuddly you two are! Ah!"

She took off running, leaving her coffee on the nightstand. Naruto sprung up and chased her around the house until hetackled her and pinned her on the floor.

"Ha! 'Gotcha wench!" He smirked at her as he sat upon her stomach, holding her arms above her head.

"And what are you gonna do, huh?" Naruto smiles down at her, then leans down and exhale heavily in her face.

"UGH! Your breath smells like booze! Brush your damn teeth!" She shouted before wiggling free and taking off with her camera to the kitchen.

Naruto gave a mischievous grin, pleased at her reaction. "Heh heh…"

They sat down and had some toast, talking quietly as to not disturb Gaara down the hall. He hardly got sleep thanks to Shukaku and they assumed he probably had a killer hangover. Sakura had a pretty bad one herself judging by the way she would lay her head down on the table saying, "Shhhu shush!" every time Naruto got a bit too loud.

After awhile they decide to visit their friend, bearing gifts of coffee and aspirin.

The sight that met them had to be the highlight of at least Naruto's summer.

He quietly walked to his backpack and pulled out his cell phone, disregarding the earlier text from Sai. When he returned to Sakura, they bit their lip to hold in the laughter as they poised their respective camera's at Gaara's tranny-like form before it was too much to bear and they howled while taking the picture.

Gaara was clinging to one of Sakura's flowery pillows, his butt slightly in the air, one slipper clad foot venturing from under the blanket.

And let's not forget what he was wearing.

At the sound of his friends amusement, he sits up and takes the double shot espresso and aspirin from Naruto with a glare.

"What could be so fucking funny at this ungodly hour." Gaara was a lot nicer when drunk.

Needless to say he was hell to wake up.

"Gaara, dear, it's one in the afternoon." Sakura said with a motherly face.

Naruto melted at her expression. He had always wondered what having a mother was like, and when he was around Sakura, he could almost see her as such.

Gaara did no melting, only a brief scowl before rubbing his face and taking the aspirin, laying back on the bed and snuggling next to Naruto when the blonde sat down.

"And to answer your question, _Sugar-plum_, _this_ is what was so funny!" Sakura shoved her camera in Gaara's face giggling as his eyes widened comically.

Naruto snorts, "That's not even the worst of it, man." This makes Sakura flip back and show him the one of the boys getting up close and personal.

At this Gaara and Naruto make eye contact, sending a silent message before initiating the plan.

Gaara grabs the camera and rolls over to face the wall, deleting the incriminating photos, as Naruto valiantly fights off the pink-haired she-devil as she tackles him to get to her camera.

By the time Sakura actually got to him, it was too late. Gaara rolled over with a smirk, dangling the camera by the strap. She took it back, pouting furiously.

Naruto paused in the middle of this madness to hear his phone ringing (reminding him that he had also snapped a picture of Gaara all 'pretty in pink'.). He looks on the caller ID, seeing Sai's name flash on the screen and was almost tempted to click 'reject'. He sighed and answered, knowing it had to be somewhat important if Sai actually called instead of texted.

"Hello?" sighed Naruto, looking at his friends as they continued to argue, or as Sakura continued to argue and Gaara pretended to suffocate himself with a pillow.

* * *

**(Naruto POV)**

"Naruto," Oh, this was serious, he wasn't calling me 'Naru-sex' or something. "Did you get my text?"

"yes"

"Did you read it?"

"No…" He could practically feel Sai's blank stare.

"It's about you starting school…" I begin to tune him out. Who does he think he is; My grandma? Besides, any mission stuff that I'm supposed to know was already briefed at my teams last meeting by Kakashi.

You see, I met Sai about two months ago.

…And the guy has been trying to get in my pants ever since.

It was mandatory for him to have my teams numbers since he was a 'lookout', which is basically someone who stays close to active teams. This wouldn't bother me so much if every other text he sent me wasn't 'hey big-dick, wanna have phone smexx?'. What a creep.

It would also help if he weren't my type…

I know what you're thinking, 'What the hell, Naruto, you just said he was a creep!'. I know, and he is, but I like Asians, and there's nothing I can do about it. Every time I think about it, I hear Kyuubi mumble about how my attraction to his appearance is a lie, then rambles on cryptically. It's pretty crazy that he would get so bothered by my attraction to pale skin and black hair… And those dark eyes...

Is he still talking?

"… strangely large number of demons or creatures from demonic lineage enrolling." I hear as I'm jarred out of my musings.

Well, I guess that isn't too odd, it is a school secretly known for housing our world's unknown cultures. I do wonder about the sudden increase in students, though… Maybe the demons feel pulled to the school because the Hyuuga clan has made it their offspring's learning establishment. Perhaps they sense other clans? Everyone wants to get closer to the more famous and powerful clans, mostly for mating or power purposes.

I cringe inwardly…

Its creepy enough to hear about that kind of stuff from Kyuubi, but to think that some clans pushed, and still push, their children onto powerful lineages as baby-makers…

"Naruto, are you listening?" Huh?

I zone back into the conversation, Sakura and Gaara ceasing their wrestling match, finally noticing the seriousness of this situation.

"Yeah," no. "What does this have to do with my team's 'lookout' mission? All we're doing is 'keeping the peace.' We just have to make sure non-humans don't start killing people." What the hell, get to the point Sai.

"Kakashi says we should be more careful, more so than usual. The sannin think shits about to hit the fan, Jiraiya wants you and Gaara to mask your beasts, we don't know if the Akatsuki is involved or not." At this I outwardly blanch, making my teammates unconsciously lean toward me in concern.

"We've never had to do that, how serious do Granny and Ero-sennin think this will get? Should we have other teams mobilized? Do we-"

"Just be on your toes." He hung up.

I slowly lower the phone to my lap. If that wasn't a buzz kill then I don't know what is.

"What did he say?" Sakura asks quietly, as if she's afraid to break the fragile silence.

I exhale and look up, "There's a suspicious increase in non-human attendance, the sannin are nervous, Gaara and I have to mask the tailed beasts, I think our silent 'keep the peace' mission just turned into a lookout mission, maybe even a search."

Sakura looked confused, but Gaara answered her silent question.

"We're looking for something."

Sakura caught on, "… We just don't know what it is." We made eye contact. "And it's dangerous."

Yes, I can feel Kyuubi's excitement, and I'm sure Gaara can feel Shukaku's.

But why does the fox seem anxious, I can almost feel him twitching. This wasn't a blood-thirsty excitement either... This had to be big...

"Sai probably texted all of us, we just haven't looked at our phones all morning…" mumbled Gaara.

Almost simultaneously we locate our phones to see if the text gave us more to go on.

Sakura spoke up, "Be on your toes…"

I looked at my messages. 'Be on your toes.'

* * *

I'd bet my 'Mr. Feel Good' that Gaara got the same text.

**(Sasuke POV)**

Lately I have been getting faint memories, but they never make sense and are never fully there. I remember one with my father talking about Itachi, just sitting there. A completely non-spectacular dream.

Then one with Madara walking through the Uchiha complex receiving fearful stares, but for some reason, as the scene flashes through my brain, I can't see his face. I just _know_ its him. The same thing happens with a memory of my mother. I can hear her speaking to me, but details of her are obscured by something.

I shake it off and begin a new train of thought to save my sanity.

I think back to earlier today. Karin didn't reply to my 'telepathic' message, so I walked off to the bathroom to get out of my sweaty mission clothes and change into the clothing given to me by Itachi. Didn't Madara say he was getting me clothes?

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, thinking of the possibilities.

Maybe Madara annoyed Itachi so aniki knocked him out.

Perhaps Itachi killed him and stuffed him in a suit case.

Maybe Madara is tied up to Itachi's bed post with tape over his mouth so he can't irritate Itachi's ears?

My nose wrinkled at the thought of Itachi tying anyone up to his bed.

Once I got my shower going I went on auto-pilot, thinking about this next destination. I'd been to America a few times, I'd even been to California, just not L.A.

There would be plenty of weirdos there...

I was in the middle of thinking about the journey there when my thoughts were disrupted by the sound of crashing, or perhaps things breaking. I turned my ear toward the direction of the sound, pausing in the shampooing of my hair, to get a better listen, only to hear an angry hiss and the heavy vibration of one of the walls as someone was thrown against it.

What the hell is going on? This is not how I remember the Uchiha manor.

Or maybe it is?

* * *

**(Itachi POV)**

I walked back into my room after handing Sasuke my clothes and sat down on my bed, only to find it occupied.

"What are you doing? There is no way you're tired. Your body has been unconscious for seventeen years."

Madara peeked out from under the blankets, looking slightly ill. "Correction, I've been dead for seventeen years, and forcing your soul back into your body via ancient spell is quite tasking, I assure you." He's sweating.

I crawl toward him on the bed and he narrows his eyes at me, curling even more inward. I get an inch from his face and run my hand up his torso, making him furrow his eyebrows, then I promptly pull the blanket off of him to reveal a sickly mess.

He was still covered in the oil, unfortunately, as he lay in my bed quivering. His skin seemed almost translucent and clammy. His hair was matted even more than usual, most likely by sweat, and judging by his defensive body language and defiant, displeased expression, there was definitely something wrong, and he didn't want me knowing.

I remain an inch from his face.

"What's wrong with you?" I tend to cut to the chase.

He lifted himself slowly, knowing I would back away if he got closer, and he almost smirked.

"Nothing."And then the smirk faded.

He bolted up and ran to the jointed bathroom, emptying his stomachs contents.

I slowly get up and mosey my way over to the connected bathroom and pull his hair from his face, making sure to make it as intimate of a touch as possible. I watch as his grip on the counter becomes tighter, his clawed hands digging into the wood until it splinters.

This was more than just food poisoning, since things like that didn't really affect us, this was some kind of reaction, most likely due to the fact that his body had only started functioning about two hours ago.

After he was finished, I let him rest there for a moment while I started a shower. I was tired of the oil masking his scent(it disturbed my senses) and getting everywhere. I pulled him into the tub, making sure to get myself under the shower as well seeing as how he got that sludge all over me. His breathing was still labored and his skin still clammy as he leaned on the back of the tub. I just watched the water glide over him for awhile before I began to actually get some soap and a cloth and wash his oiled skin.

I washed him slowly and cautiously, pulling up his sleeve and starting at his arm, marveling at how soft the Uchiha oil made his skin. When I was young, tradition was that students bathed their teachers when in bath-houses, almost as an act of service or gratitude, saying _"You are superior to me.", _but Madara never allowed me to do this. He said it was disgraceful and now that we were bonded that we were equals.

I always suspected that he was hiding something.

I tried to pull off the strange cloak when his hand grabbed mine and jerked the cloak closed again. He gave me a tired glare before turning away from me.

On the outside, my face showed nothing, on the inside, I was almost offended. He looked back at me before grabbing my hand and guiding it to his neck where my mark was, looking me straight in the eyes. He leaned forward, so close to my face that our noses almost touched. At first I thought he was trying to challenge me, what with his behavior being so primal lately, but his expression said differently. Just when I thought we could actually get somewhere, that we could openly want each other like I've craved for so long, he turns his head, letting it rest on my shoulder, both of us sharing confused and frustrated sighs.

Surprisingly, this was a side of my sensei that I was used to seeing. When I was young, awhile after we had been betrothed, he seemed interested in a more intimate relationship, and I would've had no qualms despite my youth, because I had adored the ground he walked on long before the betrothal.

He would initiate touches and lye near me, as if he were trying to convey his wants through body language, but there was always something that seemed to be lost in translation and he would break our eye contact and end whatever was about to happen.

I was broken out of my memories when I noticed that the oily mess was slowly rinsing from his exposed skin. It was disappointing that he was so unwilling to let me see his body, but I couldn't let it get to me. I grab the shampoo to start at his hair.

I wouldn't let his evasive actions bother me now, because this was not the time to get all of our old history started. The clan was gone, so neither of us had any obligation to one another and it would be easier if this was kept under wraps. I'll get him eventually…

He shifted and mewled as I massaged his scalp, then froze. I continued as if nothing had happened, holding in maniacal laughter, as he relaxed one again. 'Eventually' may come sooner than I thought.

His behavior was so feline sometimes that it shocked me. The way he moved and said things, his strange brand of possessiveness, and his eyes.

His eyes got to me.

By now, the tub had filled with bubbles and hot water, Madara having placed the stopper in long ago. He rinsed his hair and just sat there, letting the shower continue.

I was about to get up and leave him be when he grabbed my arm. "Fetch me some clothes, boy." My eyes were almost slits.

"If you want me out of the room so you can bathe, just say so, coward. I'm no longer your faithful student, and you have no right to call me or anyone else 'boy'. Those times are long over." I say as I go to fetch his clothes.

I may say those times are over, but it's still almost instinct to do as he wishes.

I shut the door to let him finish bathing himself, going to get the clothes I had picked for him earlier that he abandoned in favor of messing my bed. It felt good to have asserted myself, especially to him.

I give him a decent amount of time to finish his shower-bath, then I opened the door to see him facing away from me, wrapping a towel around his waist.

I drank in the sight. I take what I can get.

I played it off quickly, handing him his clothes before walking out to think about how his long, messy hair looked extremely attractive lying against his muscular back. I almost wish I had my Sharingan activated so I could memorize the little details like how his muscles moved, how thin he was or even how clean and smooth his skin looked, despite the few scars I saw.

He was more recognizable to me that way. My memories of him are either polished and pristine like he is now, or bloody.

Strangely enough though, when the door opens, he is not so polished, not even pulled together.

Despite bathing, he still looked dead.

This transfer must have really taken a toll.

He tries to stumble out of the room but I get in his way, demanding an explanation as to why he still seemed so off.

He glares. "Itachi, move now." He actually glared at me. I stand my ground, that's when all Hell breaks loose.

* * *

**(Madara POV)**

I had to get to my room. If I didn't stabilize myself I just might kill someone and that would not do any good for our 'low profile'.

Itachi refuses to move, and I can't help myself, or my thirst for violence for that matter.

I pick him up by his clothing and throw him before he can activate sharingan to predict my movement.

He gets up faster than I expect. It turns into an all out brawl, fists flying.

He grabs my hair and I would have liked it in another situation, but this time I simply growled. He throws me and I spring back up, gripping his face and kneeing his diaphragm, knocking the air out of his lungs.

He seems to realize I'm serious and with a swift kick aimed at my face, I decide it's time to finish this fight before we do some geographical damage. As good as fighting Itachi makes me feel, now is _not_ the time.

I punch him in the abdomen, making him fly into the wall and wrap my hand around his neck; hard. He imitates me and I bear my teeth instinctively, then quickly close my mouth. He already noticed, but I didn't need him to know that I was losing control, or what I was losing control of for that matter.

I release his neck, making sure to let my claws scrape against the mark; he spits his blood at my face.

Bull's eye.

We have a short glaring contest before I stumble to my room, hearing Sasuke's shower cut off. I almost completely forgot about him.

Oh well, that's too much to think about at the moment.

I rush into my room, slamming the door and going straight to the 'closet' and raid the shelves of strange liquids. I grab a hand full of bottles and take them to the counter top, frantically pouring them into a large grail-like cup in sequence. I'm shaking by now.

I suppose you could call this 'potion' my drug.

If so, I'm going through withdrawal. I should have left Itachi's room after he went to give Sasuke his clothes. I knew as soon as the first wave of nausea hit me that I would be unable to hold down the 'human food'.

I look into the cup, racking my brain for all the things I may need to add.

It was almost time for the last ingredient, Uchiha blood.

Naturally, I have plenty of that from the massacre.

I pick up the vile of Uchiha Mikoto's blood, smelling it before poring it into the cup.

Mikoto's blood had to be some of the purest of the Uchiha, despite what others thought. Everyone was sure that Itachi became so powerful because he was Fugaku's son, which was completely incorrect. I wouldn't even bother keeping Fugaku's blood if it weren't for the fact that it was some kind of component of Itachi's. No one would think that Itachi was so powerful because of who his mother was, Mikoto hid herself far too well. Clever woman, my great niece was, almost as clever as her great uncle. I licked my lips in preparation for my drug, before almost choking.

What the hell just assaulted my tongue with nirvana?

I licked my lips again, then brought my hand to my face. It was the blood Itachi had spit at me.

I almost shook with temptation. Just imagine how delicious my drug would be if I had both Mikoto and Itachi's blood in it? Mikoto's blood would be enough to keep me sated for about a month, but if I drank Itachi's with it, even with the small amount, I'd be well for almost four, just because he was mine. I shiver in delight, still licking the blood that had dripped to my lips.

I stop myself and down the solution before I can tempt myself any further. If I mixed the blood, I would only long for Itachi's. I go wash my face, rather mournfully.

It wouldn't do if I sat there and lusted for Itachi and his blood every time I was near him.

I dried my face, watching the cuts heal from our little scuffle. It was definitely the shortest fight we've ever had, most likely due to my desperation to get it over with. Next time there won't just be little cuts and bruises, there would be blood, breakage and pain.

I was looking forward to it.

I examine my appearance further, taking in my eye's lack of dark rings and my teeth's normality.

Perfect. For a second there, I was sure I was going to kill someone.

I leave the bathroom to go sit on what was once my bed, holding my head in my hands and remembering the last time I had been in such a blood-thirsty state.

Senjuu Hashirama. My first betrothed.

When one is of powerful blood, they easily become bargaining chips and tend to represent wealth. Having men like Uchiha Madara and Senjuu Hashirama in an unbreakable tie as joint figure-heads would make you the richest, most powerful legion in the world. This is how elders of both of our clans and the 'demonic council' saw it. The only way to force two clans together is something akin to 'marriage'.

Since the betrothal was strictly political and not for breeding purposes, two men in bonding was not a problem to the council.

Our two clans locked in an eternal hate did not seem to concern them either.

The council was above clan-heads like myself, as well as Senju.

I hadn't been bothered at first, since we Uchiha had been planning betrayal(something we excelled in) for quite sometime. I held a meeting with the Uchiha mere hours before the ceremony of marking, discussing our strategy with my clan members, only to find that they were all for using me as a bargaining chip to achieve peace with those Senju bastards.

My own clan, abandoning me, the one Uchiha clan-head watching out for the actual family, just so they could avoid another clan war.

But you can't sweep centuries of hatred under the rug.

I get up and walk back into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. It usually didn't take this long for my elixir to work. By now, I should look and feel calmer, more relaxed, but the adrenaline of battling my mated one still pumps through my veins with sick, devilish excitement.

And I will not leave this room until such feelings leave me. This accursed gift bestowed upon my blood is both bitter sweet and secret, and it has been that way since the beginning for my bloodline of the Uchiha.

That is until the battle with Hashirama.

I break out of my memories at the sound of my sink breaking.

Oops.

Oh, how I hated that man. I had been betrothed to him long before I had been bonded to Itachi.

But I made sure he never even got his mark on me.

We were to be marked mere hours after I held the meeting with my clan, but I attacked him before it could happen. Sometime in the midst of battle, things changed, and he saw it. My secret. Next thing I knew, everything was black.

With all secret weapons come secret weaknesses.

I wake up in a torture chamber. Senju Hashirama planned to torture the famed immortal, Uchiha Madara! It was laughable at the time, but it seemed he had an informant, and that informant was well versed in my abilities, as well as their downfalls.

~~~~~~Flash Back

_It was dark, but Senju seals of all kinds littered the walls, giving a faint yellow glow that for some reason blurred my vision. He is walking toward me with the metal... 'Does he think I will heat it with my Fire Technique? That would be like burning his mark into my veins by my own hand!' Were my thoughts. _

_But no, Senju simply knelt down until he was eye-level with my shackled, slumped form. My eyes were fighting to stay open, my eyes and head were throbbing and my muscles felt as if they were sleeping. When my head tipped down, he slapped the thin metal rod under my chin, directing my face up to look at him._

_He smiled. "I like you like this, Uchiha, so compliant. These seals are meant to block your Sharingan genes, but they seem to be messing with other aspects of your 'special blood'. Why is that?" I spit at him and he laughs, wiping it from his face and inspecting it, spreading it between his fingers._

"_Tell me, was that meant to heal or harm?" I gasp through my teeth and he meets my eyes with malice, licking his fingers and grabbing my chin._

"_You know, I've never trusted an Uchiha to his word, but when the council proposed this 'engagement', I was intrigued, and curious to find the outcome of such a bold move."_

_He paused, and I can only wonder what all he knew. He continued. "I thought-'Now why would the Uchiha council members think that such a think could stop an eternal war?'- and wow, I must say, The Uchiha family history left me amazed." His brown eyes were not warm like they were in front of his people. _

_I always hated that he was always smiling and kind in the eyes of his people. No one was warm if they were that good at war._

_I felt the cold, pointed tip of the rod trail down my throat and travel down my chest, calling me to the realization that my armor had been removed and I now lay vulnerable._

_He continues his speech, eyes no longer glued to mine, but on the journey of the metal as it traveled down my abdomen ever-slowly._

"_Now, to find information on the Uchiha bloodline was hard enough, but finding information on the _secret_ Uchiha bloodline, I had to call in a friend..." I see a cloaked figure emerge from a shadowy corner, his face hidden._

_Senju smacks the rod against my face to earn the attention of my drooping eyes, leaving a lesion similar to that of a whip. "You see, in my clan, 'bonding' is not so deep and consuming, so the fact that it is for an evil, lifeless Uchiha fascinates me." I'm tempted to spit at him again, and he notices. _

_He smirks and gives a dark chuckle. "I think its funny that you still have this much fight in you after three weeks of starvation..." That may be why I'm so tired... Ugh, he's talking again..._

"_After learning about the 'marking' ceremony, I understand why my informant here-" He throws his thumb back, "-warned me that you would come to kill me. I would have honestly done the same in your shoes. I also understand why the council was so sure it would cure the clans. You would be inseparably bound to me against your will, but would be unable to run or fight." He pauses to mock me, "How intimate for a clan so cold..." His eyes meet my drowsy ones. "You would think of no one else but me, your greatest enemy and if the clan-heads aren't fighting, then neither are the clans, and you just wouldn't have that." He leans close to my face. "But it must happen. The Uchiha clan will fall with this ceremony and the Hidden world will watch the Senju rise above your crumpled form, praising our glory." _

_He leans back with that smile again, and looked at the rod he had been toying with the entire time._

"_Getting all of that processed was helpful, but it seems without a bond-ee's Fire Technique, the ceremony is impossible. I thought, how could I possibly get this Uchiha to allow the Senju mark upon his body?" He stopped and looked at me, "That's when my friend came into the picture. You are of 'Special Blood', isn't that right? That vicious 'breed' within each of the ocular clans." His grin seemed to be growing insane. The fact that his informant had told him this was strange, because only Uchihas within that small circle knew who shared our 'special blood', not even the other Uchiha knew._

_Senju began to flaunt his knowledge,"Your saliva is capable of becoming medicine or poison on whim, you live and thrive on flesh, and become titanically powerful after such feasts." He doesn't seem to know details, but I can only growl to show distaste, for my mouth seems too dry and tired._

_His eye brows furrow and his eyes grow wide as he goes on, making him seem manic, "-But, without such feasts, your body and eyes are weak to sunlight, and you become like any other Uchiha, only after awhile, you can't even use Sharingan, and you only spiral further downward. I imagine my clan's anti-demonic seals don't help. Can you feel your 'Secret weapon' being suppressed? Your hunger eats you alive, doesn't it?" I involuntarily shiver, having never been talked down to. It was a strange feeling, but I didn't like it from Senju. This was going to be a mess._

_If I were any lesser a man, I would have panicked. I look to the 'informant', not recognizing his signature to be of my 'pedigree', but a vague air of Uchiha about him. Unless he were my bloodline of Uchiha, he wouldn't know _everything_ about us, but he seemed to know some._

"_According to my informant, I don't even need this!" Senju threw the rod down and grabbed my chin __again._

_He jerked my face to the side and dug his dull teeth into my neck and began sucking. As the blood rushes from my body and into Senju's mouth I throw my head back in pain, but can't help inwardly laughing at these fools. They thought they had me._

_Senju was trying to force a vampiric bond. I may be damn close, but I was no vampire. My line of Uchiha descend from them, but we are far from being the same._

_But Senju didn't know that._

_A vampire's eyes were always red, fangs always elongated, and claws always sharp. They hide from light at all times, not just when they're starving, and they only drank the blood of humans outside of bonds._

_Senju said so himself, that specific part of my blood was being suppressed by his seals._

_Senju pulled back, face a bloody mess, and gripped my hair, pushing my face into his jugular like a fool, and I didn't hesitate._

_The informant thought I was in a vampiric state, and was unaware that Senju planned to have me drink from him as well, which would create a full bond, where he and I would be equally tied, which would not only give him reign over me, but I over him. The informant seemed to understand that if that were the case, I could easily dominate him, my blood being of that nature._

_Since I am not in that state, that is not the case, but I still had plenty of tricks under my sleeve._

_I grinned and sunk my teeth in. I didn't let go when the informant tried to pry me off of him, but continued swallowing the blood that would not only feed me in my malnourished state, but gift me with even better eyes. The Rinnegan._

_They finally pulled me off and began days, weeks, perhaps months of torture as I continued to laugh. They had failed in the Uchiha bond and had failed in the vampiric bond. If that weren't enough, Senju Hashirama had just gifted me with the rarest eyes in the world._

_I laughed through the pain of being stabbed, sliced, burned and beaten, only tempted to use my new secret eyes when Senju began raping me and attempting to gouge out the eyes that would soon cause his downfall..._

_And four days after I had been left to die, they felt my wrath. The wrath of not only my Sharingan, not only the blood-eye, but also of my Rinnegan._

_As Senju Hashirama lay massacred at my feet, I point my sword at the scared unmasked young face of 'The Informant'._

_He jumps at my voice,"What is your name, boy?"_

"_..." He stays silent and I drag my sword slowly down his face and carve into his chin._

"_Name, boy." _

"_... Danzou." I slice through the previous cut, making a deep 'X', and kick his face before turning to leave._

"_Remember this, Young Danzou, I will found out how you know of my blood, and when I come find you, _this-_" I nudged Senju's broken corpse with my foot. "-will be your fate. I curse that next time your intelligence be accurate, and perhaps you will face me with right knowledge."_

_-_Uchiha Madara is not seen again for decades, and when he returns, he is not a hero to the clan, but a monster to the Hidden World.-

~~~~~~~~~~_END super-long flash-back~~~~~~~~~_

I almost throw up again in my reminiscing, the torture, the revenge, but force myself to hold it down. It would be wasteful to lose Mikoto's blood.

I never figured out just how long I had been kept in that chamber, but the outside world had changed in that time.

And so had I.

I look back into the mirror and watch my eyes change. Blood-eyes. Sharingan. Rinnegan. Then back to the dark silver eyes I was born with.

The hate was still there. The Senju line was still there. The council was still there.

But so was the Kyuubi.

My revenge existed in the Hidden World, in one specific part. The Hidden Leaf Village, where Uchiha and Senju started.

The Kyuubi had always been about revenge. It had been passed through the Senju's mates, who always happened to be descendents of the Uzumaki clan. If I took control of the Kyuubi, I would not only destroy the Council, but I would destroy the Senju and knock off the Uzumaki clan in the process. With the Kyuubi, I had complete control.

Then, that Yellow Flash of Senju descent got in the way. I took them down in battle, but they left behind a little seed that slipped out of my grasp before I could be killed. The hideous Uzumaki child of Senju blood. I didn't stick around for their deaths, but I can feel that the child lives. And with Uzumaki chakra, he had no doubt became the vessel in the end.

I want the Kyuubi, there for I must find the vessel. I already have the means, so now, I play the waiting game.

I will have my revenge, but first, I must find a way to truly feast...

I feel a disgusting grin stretch across my face and glance into the mirror, straightening my posture, adjusting my clothing and putting my hair in its proper, messy place before walking out into the hallway, bumping into Itachi's foolish little brother.

Actually, just who I needed to see.

* * *

**(Sasuke POV)**

I wait in the hallway for Madara to come out, just as my aniki asked. I've never seen Itachi so beat up in his entire life. I get out of the shower and run into Itachi as he stomps into the steam filled bathroom.

Itachi was bleeding.

I watched from the corner of my eye as he washed his face and threw some folded clothes on the counter, taking off his previous outfit.

"Sasuke." Oh god, he's seen me. "When Madara comes out of his little cave-" He paused to catch himself from showing his frustration. Now this was real entertainment. "- tell him that we leave in an hour, I'll be gone till then, but be ready to leave. I'll return to pick you guys up." Then he slammed the door. I hear the shower turn on and I smirk.

I had just used all the hot water.

I shrugged and walked down the hall to wait for Madara. After a few minutes I hear the bathroom door slam open, then shut, then the front door do the same.

I disregard the odd sounds coming from Madara's room and wait until he comes out.

When he finally makes an appearance, I open my mouth to relay Itachi's message, only to get interrupted.

"It can wait." Excuse me? "I have a question for you."

I'm listening… "Hn." He scoffs at my one syllable answer.

"God, you're just like your brother." Thank you. "Anyways, you said that you learned quite a bit of science or whatever from your stay with Orochimaru, correct?" I nod.

"I need to eat something, but it cannot give my body any form of nutrients." Huh?

I raise my eyebrow and he elaborates. "It… can't be 'real'. My body cannot gain anything from it and it has to be something humans eat." He looks serious. What is he hiding? He must not have been able to digest any of the meat that he had eaten previously.

I stay quiet for a bit, before looking in his eyes, mine narrowed. "The only thing I can think of is some kind of artificial sugar." I pause. "Tell me, when your body reacted negatively to the hibachi, when you rejected it, did you see any of your slushee in your vomit?" His eyes flashed.

I was bluffing of course, but he obviously didn't know that. I made it seem like I knew what was going on, but I had no idea why his body rejected the meat. It wasn't uncommon for a demon to be unable to hold human food, but they could usually eat meat, cooked or uncooked. It's just how we were wired.

Hyuuga's could eat anything, while our ancient diet consisted of the body, their kind devoured the soul. Their physical bodies didn't sustain itself with souls, but their ocular powers gained from it.

I zoned back into our conversation when he was about to walk away.

"Itachi says we're leaving in an hour and to be ready. Look through Itachi's clothes and get at least four outfits to wear." He began to turn his back and walked into Itachi's room to pack a bag.

I called to him, "I would suggest a diet of candy and sugary drinks. They hold little to no nutritional value and consist of simple sugars so your body will immediately eliminate it before it can do any damage, and it is quick and easy to digest with our bodies. Literally eat nothing but junk." He nodded, then closed Itachi's door behind him.

I thought about why he couldn't simply eat what he wanted like Itachi and I. In a memory, I heard from my mother that the elder clan members consumed people before it was 'outlawed' by the demon council and enforced by the 'assassins', an organization of humans who unhappily work with the council to keep up peace, appearances and secrets.

Sadly enough, it was outlawed before my brother and I were born, so I've never eaten anyone. I've killed plenty of poor unfortunate souls working under Orochimaru, but have never dared to eat one of them.

I wonder if it would make me more powerful. If the Hyuugas consume souls for power, and Uchihas are supposed to eat flesh, wouldn't I gain power? According to 'The Three Great Eyes' theory, I should.

The story is that there are three clans of demon with legendary ocular power.

The Hyuuga clan is a large clan with pale violet eyes, referred to as Byakugan. These eyes are activated at birth and have the ability to see almost three hundred and sixty degrees around them, unactivated. Activated, they can see through inanimate objects for miles, as well as look into a person and see their inner energy, or chakra. With this power, they can disable any part of your body with physical contact and permanently paralyze an enemy by poisoning your body and energy with their own. They can manipulate their energy out right, while other species must channel theirs into release points like their eyes, hands or even mouths.

_They devour the soul, but infect the body._

They usually stay low profile as doctors, so that when a patient dies, they can receive the escaping soul by smearing the blood on a ritual mark, usually located on their forehead, depending on their status in the clan. They are extremely well known and are a peaceful, neutral clan in conflicted affairs, choosing to side with the laws and keep to themselves in times of war.

The Uchiha clan was large at one time, but it was lost in the great massacre. Unlike the Hyuuga's, our ocular power is capable of camouflage. The Byakugan is easily identifiable because of its color, the only difference in activation is that the ocular veins enlarge, letting blood and chakra flow to the eyes. Uchiha's eyes are naturally grayish or black, but when the Uchiha's ocular power, the Sharingan, is activated, the iris turns red with one to three black tomoe. The more tomoe, the more advanced the Sharingan becomes. The first of the Sharingan's powers is being able to see the flow of chakra and identify the various types, though not as well as the Hyuuga's because of the fact that we can't see through people(Cue Sasuke's own little brand of dry humor.).

In battle though, we technically can. The more tomoe we have, the better we can see and predict an enemy's attack, giving us time to think of a counter attack or defense before it even happens. We can also memorize the other person's attack and make it our own, whether it be mental, physical or inflicted by chakra; the only limitation being that we cannot copy a blood given attack which is why it is called Sharingan, or 'Spinning Copy Wheel'.

The most dangerous aspect of my clan's eye is somewhat like hypnosis.

With just eye contact, you're finished. If you suffer through Itachi's Tsukuyomi technique, you will have no outside injury, but you could be left with anything between mild mental trauma and sever internal bleeding/ brain hemorrhage or death, though most Sharingan experiences only paralyze or hypnotize, making you falsely believe something happened or make you see something projected from the user's mind.

We can also see if a person is under such a mental attack, or 'genjutsu', because their body's energy flow is greatly disrupted, so we can escape these projections easier than any other demon, because it's our specialty.

Unlike the Hyuugas, we've never even tried to 'blend in'. We're famous for being merciless and corrupt, and not too shy about it. What's the point in pretending we're not what we're famed for? Our elders created a bloody reputation for us, so we have always used fear in our favor.

_We devour the body, but infect the mind._

The third ocular power does not come from a clan, but is evolved. No one knows if the Rinnegan evolved from the Sharingan or the other way around. It is the rarest among the three, simply showing up in a person supposedly after a traumatic event, similar to how Sharingan shows up in the clan, and is believed to be a mutation. It is like Byakugan in the fact that it lacks the ability to devolve after activation and is very noticeable with its' bright violet gaze and multiple rings. Rinnegan has the ability to push, pull and stop almost anything, similar to telekinesis, but not quite as controlled. This makes them almost completely untouchable in battle and fierce opponents, especially if you end up being whatever they are pushing or pulling.

The real Rinnegan wielder is also very difficult to locate, seeing as how he places his power into six reanimated corpses, seeing through their eyes and manipulating them. He is supposedly a god who has the ability to reanimate by piercing a body with a special metal material and feast on their brain waves, attacking the soul in order to make the body into a puppet.

I've heard that when the soul is attacked, it is one of the most painful experiences ever felt; only one has lived through it; Hashirama Senju. It is rumored that the wielder had not been the Sage of Six Paths and had somehow mutated it. Since we was not the sage, when he penetrated Senju's mind, the 'forced control' was ineffective and he could not make Senju his puppet. Angry, the wielder basically combusted him.

Must have sucked to live through the unbearable pain of the mind invasion procedure only to explode.

This 'procedure' is a technique that no one but the sage of six paths is capable of doing, and with the Rinnegan, he is able to see what the Byakugan and Sharingan can see put together.

_The Rinnegan devours the mind, but attacks the soul._

I hear Itachi's door open and Madara step out, taking me away from my mind rant. I observe him, taking in every detail I missed before.

When he first arrived here, he was not only filthy, but sickly looking, his hair dead and his skin almost translucent.

Now, as he stepped out of the room, he looked like a new man. His wild hair was shining with life and framing his smirking face. His skin was pale but less dead looking, and his eyes were crimson, but lacking the tomoe.

He walked past me to sit on the couch and wait for Itachi's arrival. He almost seemed as if he were high on something. He has a sated smile on his face and giggles for no reason.

I think about his eyes once more. Has he eaten someone before? Surely he has, considering his age.

I look over at him and can't help but think that he's eaten one within the last five minutes, because he sure seems like it, either that or he just got laid.

The only people that have been here besides me is Itachi and I don't want to re-think about all of that banging and crashing I heard while in the shower.

Besides, there is no way either of those things happened considering I would've smelled either arousal or death, so all is well in my mind.

I leave him in order to pack my own bag, walking into Itachi's room to get a few outfits.

The sight that greeted me was not pretty.

The place had been turned upside down. There was a broken chair thrown onto the bed with Itachi's desk over on its side and it looks like someone had fallen into the dresser seeing as how half of the drawers had fallen out, underwear strewn everywhere, and not to mention the blood smear all over the place as well as an indent in the wall.

As calmly as I could, I walk to the closet and pick out five outfits and walk to the drawers, stealing some underwear, just in time to hear Itachi's car honk for us.

I call for Madara, but he's not even in the living room anymore. I walk into the hallway and bump into him, coming face to face with a ninja mask.

He's wearing a ninja mask.

This is going to be one hell of a trip.

**LOL:D**

**I love Madara. I feel like I gave him too much back-story, but it needs to be done...**

**Sorry if the flash-back is long and angsty, feel free to complain, it'll help me write better.**

**I feel like I'm not writing very well... I sure wish someone would review and tell me... -_-**

**Haha, but seriously. Even a 'Hey.' review would be nice. **

**Anyways, is anything unclear in the story?**

**Review?**

**~SaLEm**


	5. Feigned Innocence

**I don't know whether or not to make this story angsty, happy or funny so I try to put in a healthy mix:)**

**Updates will probably be slow after this. This is the first chapter that I don't have fully written out!**

**Chapter Four Recap: Lots of Madara back story! His two secrets are evolving! His true gender revealed to you~ but what about his other? Can you figure it out ? It's kinda obvious... Anyway, we are starting to get an understanding of things, yes? **Any ways, I keep calling these recaps but they're extremely un-detailed. I kinda just tell you the gist of what happened... Oh well:P**

**Chapter Five~**

**Feigned Innocence**

**(Itachi POV)**

I sat in the car with Kisame, trying to re-explain the some-what lie I had just told him.

I sigh."We're leaving Japan because that's where Akatsuki is meeting and relocating, as you know, and because it's simply more convenient. I want Sasuke in that 'mixed' school for spying purposes as well as personality building purposes." There, now to come up with something to explain my fugitive-bondmate-sensei.

"One more thing-"

The front door opens. Oh god, I'm too late.

Sasuke walks down to the drive way and opens the passenger door and glares at Kisame.

"Move." That's my boy.

Kisame blanches, then looks at me as if my face held all he answers. His expression mellows out to one of acceptance, probably remembering that Sasuke and I are in fact related.

Maybe my face _does_ have all the answers...

"Nice to meet you too, punk." He then gets up, lifting the seat so Sasuke can get in the back. Kisame is about to pull the seat back before a hand stopped him. He turned to look at the person who had apparently scared the life out of him and almost shrank back.

For some reason, I found this to be one of the more attractive traits that Madara held.

That was until I realize what caught Kisame so off-guard; Madara's mask. He probably wore it so no one could recognize him, most likely still paranoid, but it was rather unnerving, especially because of the fact that his hair obscured his right eye and the mask covered the lower half of his face, only revealing his gray left orb. I didn't like it, not being able to see his face...

He had also modified his clothing, opting to wear a turtle-neck, a hooded jacket, long black jeans and gloves when it was seventy degrees outside.

It seems that he was nervous about someone figuring out his identity.

They both looked at me, Kisame slightly confused, and probably creeped out as well.

I sighed out loud. "I'll explain on the way."

Madara climbed into the back with Sasuke, staring at my rear-view mirror, daring me to look in the mirror back at him. I don't often chicken out of a dare, so I held eye contact with him through the mirror while everyone else got their stuff into the car.

This was a big mistake.

I knew he was doing just to get to me, get some kind of reaction, hold some kind of power over me, but it still made me squirm.

He sat in the back with Sasuke, his legs spread wide, one arm on the armrest, one massaging his neck where the mark resided. I can feel it. I was unaware that bond marks were capable of such things.

He seemed to be testing out his body's more positive aspects.

I break eye contact, hoping Kisame doesn't notice the red tint to my cheeks, and pull out of the drive way.

I can feel everyone's eyes on me.

Once we are well on our way, Kisame clears his throat, never one for awkward situations when he was involved. "So, umm, who is this again?"

I try to answer with a half truth. "He's a fu-"

"Family friend." No, actually I was going to say fugitive. Nice try though, sensei.

Part of me wanted to back hand him, especially for that childish, demented tone he was using; another part wanted to bang my head against the steering wheel. The few allies that the Uchiha clan did have were all long dead; Kisame knows that. To say that you were a family friend suggests that you know plenty of information about the Uchiha clan, and since both the Uchiha's and their allies are almost extinct, he will know you are lying, implying that you have something to hide.

Kisame will realize that only someone who actually does know how Sasuke and I, Uchihas, operate, and is most certainly not a 'family friend', would claim that. If Madara isn't a family friend, is hiding something, and is close to me, it won't take him too long to realize that he is an Uchiha. Soon, he will take notice of how we act around each other: My respect for him, his protectiveness of me and the undeniable tension between us will be a dead give-away to a closer bond.

This entire thought happens in my brain in under seven seconds before Kisame replies with an, "Oh, okay, what business do you have in the states?"

I suppose I greatly over estimated Kisame's ability to put two and two together…

"I'm running from the Council." Way to keep up your story, sensei.

I hear Sasuke laugh behind me.

I can't believe this. Everyone's going to think my sensei is a complete idio-

Oh.

If he maintains the same personality traits that Uchiha Madara is known for, someone will suspect him. Acting like this, no one will suspect that he is one of the most powerful of his kind. No one besides Sasuke will even know that we are connected as teacher and student, and Madara must have been exercising this strange new, albeit careless, behavior since they had their first encounter, concealing his true personality and identity(which happened to be quite twisted).

Oh how I enjoy being in the presence of those who are as conniving as I am.

Kisame looks to me for some kind of explanation to Madara's reply, but I can only be honest, right?

"He's a fugitive; we're taking him with us so he can flee from Japan, which happens to be where a specific unit in the council is located; the one that's in charge of psychos like him."

"You can call me Kurama." Kisame glanced back at Madara, receiving a blank stare. Sasuke looked thoroughly amused.

Kisame narrowed his beady eyes. "You know a guy called Tobi?"

Madara sat back into the seat casually. "Never heard of him. Why?" He seemed more eccentric than usual. His speech patterns were lazy and somewhat flirtatious, Japanese slurring slightly, but in a strangely attractive way. I could feel a smirk under his mask.

Kisame frowned. "It just looks like you would be in some sort of ADHD-mask-wearing-cult..." I inhale sharply. I had never heard anyone insult my sensei, -besides me of course.

He is silent for a bit, then replies with a slight pout. "Your 'Tobi' friend also wears a mask?" Kisame nods, "Yeah, it's weird. It's like he has this crazy secret, something to hide..." Madara remains nonchalant, twirling his hair lazily. "Like his face?" He smirked under his mask, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Kisame slowly turned to face forward, glaring at the dashboard.

I don't think I've ever sighed this much in my entire life.

I clear my throat in order to get everyone's attention. "Okay, here's how everything is going to work. We're going to get on the plane, sit through however many hours it will take to reach our destination, then leave the airport and arrive at my friend's home where we will stay for one night while movers furnish the campus residence I signed for two hours ago."

Kisame was fine with this, but my relatives seemed to have trouble with a few things.

First to speak up was Sasuke, of course. "Campus Residence?" His eye twitched. "We will be living in a campus residence?" I was about to answer when Madara asked a question of his own.

"Your 'friend'?" He asks, and I can see Kisame trying to hide his smirk. Oh man...

I ignored Madara in favor of answering my brother's question.

"Actually, Kurama and I will be living on campus. I went through the entire process of making us 'teachers' just so we could keep an eye on Orochimaru's favorite little Uchiha. We will be sharing a two bedroom 'suite' and I will be teaching an advanced Calculus class, while Tobi here will be subbing for a teacher on leave." I spoke softly, trying to hold in the strange feeling bubbling in my abdomen. Could it be excitement?

"What does 'friend' mean?" Madara asks suspiciously. Kisame must think 'Kurama' is just trying to tease me, otherwise he would be able to foresee how terribly this could unfold.

"So where the hell will I be living?" Sasuke asks, purposely talking over Madara.

I think Sasuke is trying to come to my aid, probably thinking my 'over protective sensei' wants to have a word with this 'friend', when in reality, my jealous bond-mate wants to kick my 'friend' in the teeth.

Oh well, I still appreciate it.

I answer him before Madara can talk again. "You will live where ever you want. I have you signed up to live on campus, but I'm sure you are capable of living on your own in an apartment _nearby_, if you so wanted, but you will not be far from my reach."

_**If you don't answer my goddamn question, I will humiliate the shit out of you.**_

I jerked, making my car swerve, then looked in the rear view mirror at Madara.

The same voice spoke in my head once more, making my neck burn almost as bad as when I and Madara first made the mark. _**If you wish to reply, simply touch my scar and think to me.**_

I do so, trying to pull off an inconspicuous position where I was leaning on the door, my head and neck resting on my hand.

_What the hell is this? God this is creepy._ -And somewhat fascinating... I honestly can't believe half of the crazy voodoo-shit that runs in my family.

_**This is me speaking to you through our link, my mark must be on fire! Now tell me, Itachi, who is your friend that we are staying with?**_

_Why does it matter? It's someone who I trus-_

_**Tell me or prepare for humiliation.**_

_And how do you plan on humiliating me?_

I regret saying this. The burning sensation in my neck turned pleasant, then it became over powering and I barely suppressed a groan. It seems he's gotten used to his physical body.

_Oh Kami, stop!_

"So Itachi, who is this friend we're going to stay with?" You evil son-of-a-…

Before Sasuke could save me again, I replied. "He is someone I met through the organization I am involved in, a co-worker if you will. He and Kisame here are the only people I trust in this organization and we have become comrades as well as personal friends." There, I explained the half truth in a way that he will understand.

I can just feel Kisame hoping this blows up in my face.

Oh well, one can never tell the full truth. Sensei would flip if he knew this 'comrade' was my best friend, but he would kill the both of us if he knew we slept together...

Madara is skeptical, but accepts the answer. "Oh, okay, can I have a slushee?" His 'cute' demeanor is almost growing on me.

This is going to be one hell of a trip.

* * *

**(On the plane, still Itachi POV)**

We get through security with our bags, but they insist on making Madara throw away his slushee, then tried to make him remove his mask. He put him under with Sharingan and walked straight through to the plane, still upset that he hadn't done so before they took his cherry slushee.

I could practically feel him pouting(he hadn't had the chance to drink it). At least we were on first class.

I lean back into my chair, glancing between a menu and the window. Madara insisted on the middle seat, probably wanting me all to himself, with Kisame in the aisle seat. Sasuke sat away from us, probably not wanting anything to do with the 'crazies' in front.

I look at Madara, almost shaking my head when I see his arms crossed and his masked face looking down and can't take it anymore. I search through the 'Kidz' section of the snack menu, trying to find something similar to a slushee. I find nothing. So much for first class…

I had to do something to get him in a better mood. For some reason, his pouting is driving me insane. I suppose it's only natural to want to please him, since he is, after all, 'tied' to me.

So I order seven blow pops, a snack-cake and a cherry soda. I've done all I can do.

When the attendant came back with my candy order, his eyes were glued to her hands, then mine as the suckers and beverage were handed off.

"What are those?" He asks curiously. He's like a man-child.

I hand them to him. "They're candy, they're yours." He looks at me, then to the suckers I placed in his hand, then to me again. He doesn't know how to eat them.

I hand him the snack-cake, but he only looks at it and hands it back to me.

Ungrateful...

I take a sucker back, a cherry one, and unwrap it, popping it into my mouth, then look at him from the corner of my eye, making him catch on. He unwraps one of his own and imitates me, turning in my direction away from prying eyes and lowering his mask slightly…

Only to throw his sucker on the ground and take mine from my mouth. He obviously isn't a fan of green apple.

Thirty minutes into the plane ride, I look over to see my sensei passed out on top of Kisame with the stick of the blow pop protruding from the top of his mask, his nose peeking out. Kisame is obviously completely freaked out and looks to me for help.

"Ma-... Kurama, wake up." I try, but he's out cold. "Ku-Ra-Ma." Nothing.

I try to lift him gently but he only grunts and shifts.

I push back the armrest between us so I can pull him better. I grab him by the hair and jerk him up. He awakens with an angry hiss, whispering, "Itai, itai, itai!" in an insane high-pitched pseudo-voice, further annoying Kisame. He glares at me through his messy hair, turning away from Kisame and going back to sleep, leaning on me. He gives a satisfied hum, nuzzling his face into my neck, emitting a soft snore.

I look to Kisame with a 'fuck my life' expression. He only laughed at my misfortune.

In reality, it felt good to have him lying on me like this.

* * *

I stole the sucker dangling from Madara's mouth and placed it into mine, pushing his mask back into place and enduring the rest of the plane ride.

**(Normal POV)**

The four travelers were finally in the driveway of a small California home, getting their bags from the trunk.

Itachi turned to his relatives. "I'll need you two to stay behind for a bit while I explain the situation. When I called him, I only said that I was staying. He won't care about Kisame, but let me inform him about our little 'situation'." With that, he left the other Uchiha behind.

Itachi walked into the house without knocking, only to be attacked by an excited blonde.

"Deidara, stop! Whatever you do, don't touch me!"

* * *

**(Deidara POV)**

I had to switch from English to Japanese, which was pretty difficult considering I'd been speaking to Americans all week.

"What the hell. Why is Kisame here, un? I bought handcuffs for no reason!" I saw Kisame smack his hands against his ears.

"Oh man, I did NOT need to hear that." He almost cried.

Kisame knows we sleep together, so I do everything in my power to scar the hell out of his tiny little fish-brain.

Itachi spoke up, "I have two more people in the car." What the hell am I, a homeless shelter?

I raise an eyebrow. "Who and why, un? I am not having an orgy involving Kisame." Said shark-demon began banging his head against the wall. Hilarious.

Itachi did not look amused. "You will not speak of any sexual relations with me whatsoever while these other two are here." This must be serious.

I don't like serious. "You have yet to answer my question. Who are they, and why are they with you, un?"

"My brother-" Interesting."-and a family friend." Bullshit.

"Your clan's allies were all exterminated by you, un. Explain how he is a family friend?" I may have sounded a bit too standoffish, but Kisame looked interested now, so I probably had reason to be.

Kisame spoke up. "Itachi wants Sasuke to spy on the 'youth of other clans' and hopefully become less of a sociopath. Kurama is the one who came up with the 'family friend' thing." Kurama? I haven't been in Japan in awhile, but I know that name sounds familiar...

I choke on air. "K-Kurama?" No way...

Kisame grins. "He's a fugitive running from the council." Awesome.

I glared at Itachi, only to receive one in return. I think my head is going to explode, either from the glare or this situation. Probably from the glare, it was pretty scary. Even so, I continue to glare, waiting for an explanation.

'Tachi seemed to think it over in his mind before speaking. "He was a past partner."

I raise an eyebrow. "Past partner? So I can't even touch you because your jealous ex is here?"

I've never seen Itachi so embarrassed in my life. It was a joke... His eyes widened angrily, "I meant partner in battle, you idiot." Ouch. Is this a touchy subject?

"Wait, then what does this have to do with our 'sexual relations'?" Kisame yells an 'EW!'. "Why can't I touch you, un?" It shouldn't be such a big deal if they were just comrades ... Itachi's relationship with this person isn't just partnership. He's hiding something.

He hesitates. He is either unsure about trusting me or is about to lie through his teeth.

"Remember when you said I was possessive for almost killing Hidan after he kept spitting lewd comments about you?" Kisame had shared his thoughts about our casual relationship with Hidan. It wasn't quite as funny to tell Kisame things after that... "Imagine that tenfold." Oh dear. "You thought I was extremely possessive, if he finds out that we have any kind of relationship outside of friendship, Hell will rise."

Something still doesn't make sense. "Why is it any concern to your 'battle partner' that we sleep together sometimes, un?" God this was complicated. I almost want to send Kisame out so we could talk this our for real, since I know a lot more about his past than that shark.

Itachi straightens, "He has a strange mind set,-" Kisame snorts. "-he believes any exceedingly personal relationship will bring me down, and it will be easier for an enemy to catch or kill me if I have 'friends' that they can threaten and hold against me."

I gulp.

"What is he, un, your personal advisor?"

"I respect his word just as well as I respect yours, if not more so." Woah. I thought I was number one...

I still feel like he's lying to me. Jeez, can't I get _one_ friend? Just one? Being a fugitive is a pretty lonely life, but I thought Itachi and I were pretty tight. Guess not.

Asshole.

Itachi motions to the door, catching Kisame's attention.

"Kisame, go get them." Itachi orders, not breaking eye contact with me.

When Kisame closes the door, rules fly from Itachi's mouth, switching to english.

"Don't touch, hold, hug, kiss, grope or make any physical contact with me whatsoever. We may be what you call 'best friends' or 'casual fuck buddies'-" It's funny to hear Itachi say that, especially with his slight accent. "-but that is completely irrelevant now. Do not even make reference to past physical contact, or future for that matter. Act like you did when we first met."

I narrow my eyes. "I hated you, un."

Itachi nods. "Exactly." Then the door opens to reveal a young sex-god, glaring at Kisame.

Is there a 'sexy' gene in the Uchiha blood?

Kisame walked in with two ravens behind him, looking weary of the masked one.

And I'm stuck thinking Japanese again. Ugh, my brain hurts. "This is Sasuke and Kurama." Itachi said quietly. I've never seen him be so respectful, not even to leader.

Young Sasuke literally radiated sex, and if he was anything like the his brother, then he radiated rough sex.

I put on the nicest guise I can. "Nice to meet you, Sasuke."

"Hn." He walked right past me.

Oh yeah, total bed-monster.

I was trying to get a better look at Itachi's friend, but Kisame was in the way.

Come to think of it, he hadn't moved since he shut the door behind him.

He spoke. "Itachi, Why exactly did you bring Kurama with you? I know he was in a bind, but don't battle partners usually split after their mission?"

My uncovered eye catches Sasuke's glare at Kurama, or was he just looking? I honestly can't tell the difference with Uchihas.

Itachi sighs, never one for long conversation, especially if it had to do with him in any way. "He would've done the same for me. We've accompanied each other in many missions because we work well together." He glanced at Kurama, "As for staying together, we will most likely separate soon. His temporary teaching job is just that, temporary, and he is permitted to leave when he wishes."

Kisame turned to Kurama with an interested smile. "You work well with 'The Great Uchiha Itachi', huh?" He says in a mocking tone. "So how powerful does that make you?" He asks challengingly.

I hear Kurama's smooth, taunting voice bellow from Kisame's side. "Powerful enough to kick your ass, you whale."

I couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling out.

When he stepped away from Kisame and looked at me, I could tell he didn't like me already. He kept himself extremely covered up, but I could tell he was pretty damn hot as well. I wouldn't mind stripping him of all those clothes and f-.

Itachi came back into the conversation."I would appreciate it if you no longer threw around our names like that, I'm thinking of suitable aliases. Kami knows we're all wanted by the Council for one thing or another."

I snort. "By the way, Thanks for bringing in your gang of fugitives, un. Welcome to my home, criminals."

Itachi smirks at me. "You have no room to speak; I've seen you kill plenty of people."

I shrug, "Whatever brings in the b- AHH!" Kurama's face is suddenly half an inch from mine, smelling me.

"You smell… peculiar." He inhales, thinking over the scent. Does he smell Itachi on me? Its been weeks since we bed-wrestled! "And your features are exceedingly familiar…" Oh my God, He knows… Just look at his name, no one would broadcast that unless they know...

He suddenly jerks back, "Oh well, too faint to place." He's annoying.

I can see Itachi sigh in relief, but we were worried for two entirely different reasons…

Kisame shakes his head at all of us, while Sasuke ever so politely, asks, "Where am I sleeping?"

Fuck you, Sasuke. No need to be a rude asshole.

Then I panic. I haven't even thought about how I'm gonna fit these people in my house!

Usually Itachi sleeps in my bed, because, well, you know…

Kisame always claims the fold out couch or the air mattress

.

Four extra people in my two bedroom house and I cannot allow three of those people in the 'guest' room.

I tried to work this out in my head. Itachi will get mad if I suggest my bed, trying to keep our arrangement on the down-low, but with everything going on, I need a good laugh...

"Un… Kisame, you take the air mattress. Sasuke, you can sleep in the spare bedroom. Itachi, you take the couch, _like always_, un." Smooth add-in, he'll never suspect a thing…

Itachi rolls his eyes at my faulty save and my eyes shift to 'Kurama', who has begun nervously playing with his messy raven tresses.

That's pretty suspicious…"I hope you are okay with sharing the couch with Itachi, un, it folds out. If not, too bad, un."

They both stiffen and avoid eye contact. How awkward.

You figure comrades would be more comfortable around each other.

Oh well. "Come with me, Sasuke." I lead him to the 'spare room'. I have better things to worry about than whether or not those two are comfortable. They could be dealt with later, but this next situation required a certain delicacy, as well as tact.

I walk to the furthest door down the hallway, open it, and push Sasuke in before following and closing the door behind me.

Sasuke catches himself, glaring at me. I place my finger in front of my lips, signaling silence.

* * *

I walk toward him and get in his face, "If you keep what you see in this room secret, I will grant you anything in my power that you want in return." I pause and think over what I've said before correcting myself. "Everything in this room being the exception."

* * *

* * *

**Oh jeez, Whats in the room?~**

**kekkeke... Cliff Hangers...**

**Review pretty please? People are finally starting to read this story, but no one has reviewed... Reviewers receive hearts! 3**

**~SaLEm**


	6. Picture Evidence

**Well, hello~!**

**How is everyone? FANTASTIC?**

**Great. **

**Glad you're reading P&P(bc I'm too lazy to type Power and Possessions all over the place).**

**Also, for when this comes up: When Sasuke says 'protectors', its just fancy P&P talk for 'ninjas'. Because P&P isn't about ninjas. Its about Spooky Demon-Vampire shit.**

**Chapter Five 'Recap': The Uchihas plus Kisame just went the airport and arrived at Deidara's house. Deidara's all suspicious of 'Kurama', as well as everyone else, and Kurama is suspicious of Deidara. Kisame knows Itachi and Deidara are F*** buddies and Itachi is worried he'll spill the beans to Madara. So many twists. Its funny. **

**Oh yeah, and Sasuke is sleeping in Deidara's super secret spare room.**

**Chapter Six~**

**Picture Evidence**

**(Sasuke POV)**

There I am, being led by this girly-boy to the spare room, innocently following and eager to just get some sleep, and I'm violently shoved in and shushed! I'm a freaking Uchiha! Who does this loser-tranny think he is?

Okay, perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic...

"If you keep what you see in this room secret, I will grant you anything in my power that you want in return." He seems to rethink himself, correcting his previous demand. "Everything in this room being the exception." What the hell.

I looked at him like he was an idiot, and he flipped his hair violently. "No one can know about this room, not Itachi, not Kisame and _especially _not that creepy stranger. I'm already pissed off about Itachi bringing his tag-alongs into my house."

Someone has a few secrets, and I'd bet that they're in this room.

He continued to rant and even waved his finger at me. Everything he was saying just went in one ear and out the other so I just looked at him until he stopped talking and nodded.

Satisfied, he left, and I began looking through the room for what was so secret, leaving no rock unturned. I'm gonna find his secret if I have to look all night. So much for sleeping.

**(Deidara POV)**

After making sure Itachi's brother could swear secrecy, I went to check on my fellow criminals.

Kisame was already settled in the game room on an air mattress, giant arms and legs hanging off the sides. I go to the living room to check on Itachi and his partner only to find Itachi quickly succumbing to sleep and 'Kurama' no where in sight.

Now I'm really uncomfortable...

I was the guardian of the nine-tails jinchuuriki, my younger brother. I am also an active member of the Akatsuki, an organization hunting down these legendary demons for war purposes.

No, I'm not betraying my brother, or his weird little raccoon-friend, I'm protecting them. Much like my best friend Itachi, I'm a double agent, if you will.

I am secretly only half-demon, or as the Japanese like to call someone like me, a hanyou. My mother was a clay-demon from Iwa, of france, passing along the explosion release kekkei genkai to me. In her hidden village, she was a medic-nin(the blood limit skipped her generation) involved in the biological warfare that Iwa planned to wage on Konoha, located in Japan. Iwa gathered DNA of Konoha's figure-heads in order to finds weaknesses, but when Konoha found out and sent assassins, my mother, fearing for her life, impregnated herself with the hokage's DNA so the assassins could not kill her for fear of ending the Namikaze child.

She was eventually assassinated a few years later after I was born and I trained under the Tsuchikage in the explosion corps, then found out about my father, Minato Namikaze and moved to the leaf when I was six to discover him expecting another child. He was pretty surprised to meet me as well...

When my family was living in the hidden leaf village, on the day of the fox attack, my father and step-mother handed me their new born, making me promise to protect and hide it. They said their last words, his name, and sent me to Jiraiya and a man named Sarutobi, who would apparently give me some helpful information on what happened and what was to become of my sibling.

Jiraiya read the seal upon the baby's stomach and told me of the Kyuubi, as well as the hunted life my brother would lead. Sarutobi told me about everything from the Uchihas and their ancient ties to the Kyuubi to the Kyuubi's real name.

The same name that this stranger was parading around.

This didn't sit well with me.

I brought Naruto to live with me in Iwa for awhile as I continued my training in the explosion corps. The old woman who had taken me in gladly welcomed a baby into the household, teaching the six-year-old me how to take care of him. Being raised in an environment of assassinations and explosions, I didn't trust many, so the only person to hold my brother was me and the lady housing us.

When I began excelling in the explosion corps, at around age thirteen, people started taking keen notice to me and my art. There were malicious whispers telling the Tsuchikage, leader of Iwa, that I was out of control and that I needed to be taken down. After the first attack on my home took out the landlord, the woman who raised me and helped me raise Naruto, I took my brother and fled Iwa, but not before blowing the place to smithereens.

Homeless, I wandered hidden and unhidden lands, supplying terrorists and war-groups with bombs, run of the mill and custom made. After awhile money was no longer an issue, as people were paying pretty pennies to get a hold of my top of the line black market bombs. I had my own underground business running at nineteen. That's how the Akatsuki caught wind of me.

I had at first kept ties with Konoha, The Hidden Leaf, to make sure Jiraiya was well informed on his pupil's son and to remain an active ANBU, or assassin as demons called us, of my father's hidden village, but when the Akatsuki approached, I severed all of those ties. I didn't want Naruto involved in the hidden world, despite his jinchuuriki status. After stealing seals from Konoha, since I suck at them on my own, I fled with Naruto to America. If I kept him away from the hidden villages, he would be safer.

I had become the youngest full-fledged member of the Akatsuki at age twenty, joining in order to track them and their movements so that I could steer either them or Naruto out of the way when one was too close to the other. I had been a rogue Iwa-pro since I was fourteen, and after joining Akatsuki, a rouge leaf-pro as well. It didn't matter though, because I promised my father I would sacrifice even more to protect Naruto.

I would do anything to keep my promise. Even lie to the man who had become my closest friend, Uchiha Itachi.

Honestly, the man had enough problems, he doesn't need to know about mine.

And I had no intention of letting him.

No one was going to take my brother.

I was about to walk into the living room and wish Itachi a good sleep when the back door opened and 'Kurama' strutted into my home, standing over Itachi.

His movements and speech were fluid, but strangely drunken in an unexplainable way. He stood over Itachi, just watching him. I spied from the hallway, making sure he didn't notice me, but he seemed far too concerned with Itachi.

I didn't want to press my luck, so I went to my room and turned on my monitor screen, no such thing as _too _paranoid, flipping it to the living room camera. I'm now extremely glad I threw in the extra cash for HD zoom features. I put the head-phones in so Itachi wouldn't hear me listening to them with his crazy bat ears. I didn't even know what abilities the other guy had, but I was willing to bet that they were as unbelievable as Itachi's.

Somethings happening.

Itachi's eyes opened and they stared at each other for at least a good minute before Itachi moved to the edge of the couch-bed, inviting Kurama in. This was odd behavior considering that when Itachi and I were paired in missions(rare) and had to share sleep quarters, he slept in the dead center of our cot. What a bed-hog...

Kurama moved, jarring me out of my thoughts, and gracefully made his way into the bed, but didn't lay down. He sat there with a defensive posture, tense and looking around the room, the window and even the ceiling.

I sweat-drop. Who was he expecting to find there?

Itachi rested his head near Kurama's lap and looked up at him, but Kurama kept his head forward, almost brooding. Itachi simply stared until Kurama took notice, finally looking down at Itachi, seemingly caving. He sighed through his mask and began to run his fingers through Itachi's bangs, Itachi's eyes falling shut, placing his head on Kurama's lap.

Now that was something you don't see everyday.

Itachi was _seeking_ affection from someone. There had to be some kind of history between them, because as far as I knew, Itachi wasn't the cuddly type. Or the nice type for that matter. The only compliment he'd ever given me was about how the mouths on my palms gave me the title of 'best hand-job'. Hands down. Pun intended.

I honestly couldn't agree more, though. That's right, I toss my own salad. Don't look at me like that, un.

Kurama began talking. "I don't feel right, Itachi." The man addressed opened his eyes and stared into Kurama's face. "What do you mean, Sen-" Itachi's mouth was covered by a quick hand, before the thumb of that hand began stroking his face.

Ha, I knew his real name wasn't Kurama. I make a silent note to myself to look up Japanese names that began with 'se' and 'n'. With my first language being french, I wasn't exactly familiar with many Japanese names, but I had to find out who this guy was and why he was using the Kyuubi's name.

Kurama was talking again. "Don't you feel it, boy?" Woah, someone talking down to Itachi... Surely he's not going to take that lying down.

He sat up(lol, told you he wouldn't take that lying down.) and eyed 'Kurama', removing the hand from his face. "What about it?" Itachi said with narrowed eyes.

Kurama spoke in an almost venomous whisper. "So you feel it? We're being smothered. I can't sense anything in this house. The charms he is using are making me sick." Itachi looked almost concerned now.

"What do you mean by 'sick'?" He questioned.

Kurama looked all about the room, paranoid and angry. "They're everywhere. My spine is tingling, my stomach flips and my eyes are spinning without tomoe. It's driving me mad. I feel like we're under attack, but the enemy is everywhere." His eyes were wide, glaring into Itachi's. Tomoe?

Itachi shook his head. "Deidara is apart of my organization, and in that organization, you have to take extreme precautions to obtain even a small amount of secrecy. We will have to do the same thing to our campus residence to keep possible threats from finding out our secrets." Itachi finished, trying to reassure his battle partner.

It felt weird watching this interaction. I've never seen reason to spy on Itachi because he's never snooped around my house, and I've already fed him my lies. The only reason I bothered watching now is because of 'Kurama'.

Then Kurama said something that made me almost sweat. "What secrets does this house hide, then? As soon as young Sasuke went into that room, I no longer felt his presence what so ever. That room is drowned with the charms." Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Deidara has a shrine of his deceased loved ones in that room. He doesn't like anyone in there. The only reason he allowed Sasuke inside was because Kisame and I are apart of the organization and you, he doesn't seem to trust whatsoever. Sasuke being young and without family would be the most logical option because he assumes Sasuke will sympathize and remain tight-lipped."

I thank heaven that Itachi, unknowingly, covers for me.

He has no idea what is actually in there but I have no intention of letting him find out. I'm glad he believed that shrine crap and since it wasn't a complete lie, his creepy eyes took it for honesty. For there was in fact a shrine, but it didn't belong to me. It belonged to my little brother.

It was a picture-less shrine of our mother and father that he prayed to every once in a while, there for, it was a shrine-room.

Yay half-honesty, un!

Kurama still didn't look at ease. He must be a sensory type for the Senju seals to be bothering him so much because he put his face into his hands, making it hard to hear him mumble: "But why _these_ seals?"

Itachi sighed. "We can sleep in shifts, if your so paranoid. I'll sleep first, I'm jet-lagged, wake me in two hours." Kurama nodded and Itachi fell into slumber, occasionally tossing and throwing limbs over Kurama.

Luckily I had slept all day today, because as of now I'm up watching them all night to make sure neither of them decide to go exploring through my house.

It was odd watching them sleep because both of them ended up lying on the conscious person before thirty minutes was up. I've never seen Itachi so caught up with someone, but there he was, in the middle of his wake-shift, slacking on his duties, too busy tending to his ex-partner. When Kurama was awake, he was avidly scanning the room, always, where as Itachi simply stared at Kurama, occasionally moving hair from his face or adjusting the mask he refused to take off.

I could only witness this once, however, because Itachi's first shift was his last. Kurama remained awake, too jumpy to go back into the restless slumber that he had before. He simply laid on his back, eyes focused on his surroundings. He jumped the first time Itachi unconsciously moved next to him and I could only hold back my laughs, waiting for Itachi to become the closet-cuddler that he was.

I held my breath, waiting for Kurama to flip out as Itachi lazily threw his left arm over his partner's chest. Strangely enough, Kurama's wide eyes only softened before he adjusted Itachi, placing the man slightly on his chest and pulling Itachi's leg over his waist to fit between his own legs. He placed his left arm under Itachi's head, while said man's face nuzzling itself in the crook of Kurama's neck.

I feel my jaw drop as Kurama begins to run his fingers through Itachi's hair once more and starts gently rocking the both of them.

What the fuck. I still don't know how to maneuver around Itachi when he sleeps, but this guy handled it like a pro.

Kurama then sighed, speaking slurred Japanese, "Maa, Itachi-kun, you're getting too big for me to handle like this..."

Itachi only replied with a sleepy, "Hmm.." before adjusting him self and further burying his face into Kurama's neck, inhaling deeply through his nose and sighing from his mouth.

He just smelled Kurama's hair.

There had to be something they weren't telling me. How does this 'Kurama' know Itachi so well? The way he just spoke to him was like that of a doting mother or something, and Itachi just took it in stride, as if your battle partner holding you was completely normal.

I knew quite a bit about Itachi, but this was pretty new.

I knew that when he woke up in a bad mood, he had dreamed about the massacre or the Kyuubi attack. He had told me that the massacre was an order, something that no one besides the higher ups (and apparently Sasuke, now) knew about. He also told me that he had lost someone very special to him in the Kyuubi attack, but refused to tell me who. He always woke up angry or upset when he had those dreams, scowling a lot and refusing to speak.

Those were pretty personal, but when he told me of the good dreams he has, _then_ I feel closer to Itachi.

When Itachi woke up in a good mood, then I know he had one of those dreams. No, not a wet-dream you weirdo, a different kind!

He would dream this memory of him and the person he lost to Kyuubi, lying together, talking. When Itachi and I slept together(not like _that. _Well not all the time...), he always ended up in the same strange position. Every time. It was like his go-to sleep-position. He would lay with his face in my neck, an arm around me and a leg in between mine and unconsciously rock himself gently. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen. He never did it with anyone else he was partnered with, or when he slept alone, so I assume its a comfort thing, most likely springing from his child-hood.

As weird as it is, I allow it. I honestly think Itachi craves someone to comfort him, hold him.

Itachi's a screwed up guy.

Now, apparently, this 'Kurama' guy was in on it too.

Perhaps Kurama knew Itachi's past as well as do, possibly even better than I do.

Itachi told me that after the Kyuubi attack, the only person he cared about was Sasuke. When I asked if the person he lost to Kyuubi was a lover I received a week of silence. I stopped prying. But maybe, if Kurama's partnership with Itachi goes that far back, Kurama would know about the one lost to Kyuubi?

These guys were so full of mystery.

I only had one more hour of surveillance and it was Itachi's turn, but Kurama wasn't the one to wake him up. Itachi woke up on his own, slowly pulling away from Kurama who looked ready to go into a coma. When Itachi asked why he didn't wake him for his shift, the only reply he received was Kurama slowly moving his eyes around the room. Itachi sighed and told him to rest for a bit, and that he would keep look out. Kurama only looked around once more, suspicious and uncomfortable, and Itachi did something that my my heart stop.

Itachi slowly leaned down so that he was eye level with Kurama, then placed his hands on either side of the man's masked face, thumbs fiddling with the stretchy black cloth. Kurama's eyes stopped their scanning to meet Itachi's, lidded. Itachi inhaled deeply, slowly through his nose before leaning closer, parting his lips and closing his eyes, then abruptly opening them, revealing spinning red.

Itachi just used Sharingan to knock out his own partner. Needless to say, Kurama dropped like a sandbag.

Itachi looked over the masked man's limp form, moving Kurama's bangs from his eyes and pulling the blanket to his chin, before walking into the kitchen. Just by the way he walked I could tell that he had been dreaming about the laying with that person. Sometimes I caught him smiling his tiny, creepy Uchiha smile after that particular dream... What an odd duck.

But hey, in the Akatsuki, we're all odd ducks.

After awhile, I was tired of watching Itachi do nothing, so I went to wake up that Sasuke-jerk.

If it weren't for the fact that the room was a secret, I would have taken a picture. This kid slept almost as awkwardly as my little brother.

At first, when I walked in, all I saw was his back and him clutching his katana. When I stood over him, I saw him clinging to one of Naruto's pillows, drooling all over it! Okay, so perhaps he wasn't really drooling all that much, but HAHA! An Uchiha drooling! After all of the horrible, gory and evil stories I have heard about Uchihas, first and second-hand, I walk in and the last survivor is cuddling my brother's pillow. This, ladies and gentlemen, has just made my life.

Then I realized something.

This perverted prick is cuddling my _brother's_ pillow.

My eyes narrow.

**(Sasuke POV)**

At first as I look, I dive under the bed, the rug, and check the ceiling for hide-away hatches and find nothing. Honestly, if you're going to have a secret room, at least put giant shuriken in it. You would figure a guy in some hunting organization would be hiding weapons. The room was covered in invisible seals, so it was hiding _something_ powerful.

I sigh and begin looking around the room like a normal person, that's when I notice that this isn't a spare room. The bed was messy and the entire room seemed to have a Halloween theme; black and orange. Not exactly ideal spare-room colors. There were posters of a Korean group called SHINee and a Japanese rock star called Miyavi scattered haphazardly across the obnoxiously painted walls as well as a few pictures sitting atop a large black dresser.

I begin with the pictures, careful not to pick them up unless they have people in them, and there were very few. One of them is set in this house, in the kitchen to be precise. It was Deidara, a red headed boy and a pink haired girl, seemingly caught by surprise while cooking, because their faces were blurred. In the very edge of the photo, you can see half of a tan, whiskered and grinning face, eyes closed, camera failing to focus. Who frames a shitty picture?

I roll my eyes at the expression of the blonde in the corner. What a moron.

I move on to a picture with the same people, minus Deidara. I studied the picture thoroughly. They seemed to be on a bridge, sitting near the edge with their feet dangling off the side, backs to the camera. I suppose you could call it a 'kodak-moment'. The tan blonde was on the left, the pink-haired female, then the red-headed boy. The boys seemed to be pushing against her, or sandwiching her, similar to the way Juugo and Suigetsu do to Karin to annoy her.

I look through all of the photos and notice a trend. The pictures never zoomed in on someone's face, besides the one in the kitchen, but that one only had half a face and it was unfocused. I mean, sure, how many people had bright pink or bright red hair, but still. I begin thinking about whether or not this was intentional when I drop a picture.

I almost roll my eyes at myself and bend down to pick it up, that's when I see it. There's another picture in the frame, behind the picture shown in the frame. I pull it out carefully.

It was the red haired boy, much younger looking though, probably ten or twelve, with a blonde of the same age. This picture was a close up, the two boys in the making angry faces, though it didn't seem to be too much of a stretch for the red-head.

I replaced the picture where it belonged and began looking through the other photos to find more hidden ones.

One had the same two boys, the blonde pointing at the tattoo on the red-head's forehead, pulling his black-rimmed eyes in a mock-asian kind of way. The red-head was angrily pinching whiskered cheeks in response. The caption at the bottom looked to be date four years ago, titled 'The Monster Mash'. How weird. I assumed it was some sort of inside joke and tucked the picture back in it's place.

I pull all the pictures out, looking for a reason that they would be hidden, but finding none. How odd. The only noticeable trend is that the front pictures are the only ones that lack a focused view on faces, always blurred, cropped or the people in the picture simply looked away.

It was clear, by all the orange the blonde wore in his pictures, that the room belonged to the whiskered boy. If the sunny blonde hair and nicely tanned skin was anything to go by, Deidara was harboring a little sibling.

My eyes narrow in suspicion.

Why hide him, though? There were enough seals in this room to hide a Susano'o from a sensory type. All chakra, and even human energy, was completely smothered. I can't even feel my brother, or even Madara.

Maybe Deidara let the blonde know about his Akatsuki status? Perhaps Deidara was the one to seal the room off to protect his younger brother from the dangers of the demon organization Akatsuki?

If they're related, does that mean the boy was demon as well? The accent Deidara had when he spoke Japanese was dripping with Iwagakure-french, so he was definitely a hidden protector.

All hidden village protectors spoke Japanese, English and Chinese, the latter two being because they are the most widely known language and Japanese because most hidden villages' founding fathers were Japanese.

After the hidden villages started venturing out of hiding after the the hidden wars, they began taking on the foreign languages of they're base-country. French, because Iwa is hidden in france, was probably the first language Deidara's generation of Iwa Protectors learned.

Did that mean the boy in the picture was french? Despite the the blonde hair and blue eyes, the boy looked way more Asian than Deidara.

And if they were just siblings, then why use so many of the same seals on the room?

I placed all of the pictures back where they belonged and activated Sharingan to scan the room to find the greatest concentration of power.

...only to have my eyes start bleeding.

"Gah- What the hell-!"

I deactivate it immediately, running into the room's bathroom to rinse the blood. I stand over the sink until all of the pink is gone, then sit on the toilet to rest. As I'm sitting there, trying to figure out why I can't use Sharingan, I start feeling nauseous, uncomfortable, so I get up to walk it off. I notice that once I'm out of the bathroom, I feel better.

So, as the intelligent, unstoppable Uchiha I am, I go back into the bathroom to investigate.

At first, I find nothing but a litter box, but it was clean, so that couldn't have been what was making me nauseous, so I look harder.

I'm about to look under the sink, but as soon as I touch the handle, yellow sparks fly and I jump back.

I study the shiny bar where one opens the cabinet under the sink to find a strange symbol on the under side of the metal.

I'd seen it before in Orochimaru's case files for the wood-style experiments. It was different from the ones around all of the entry points of the room, it even felt different, plus it glowed yellow. I just didn't know what it meant. I make a mental note to ask Itachi later, he would know.

I try to open it with the handle of my katana but the same thing happens. I huff, then venture off to the room so get something of it's owner.

I find a comb. Here I am in a stranger's bathroom, squatting down, trying to open a cabinet under their sink with a comb. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

It works. It seems like as long as what ever I'm using isn't binded to me, like my sword, then I can use it to open the cabinet. I'm such a fucking genius. It scares me sometimes.

I eagerly open the cabinet to see what was hidden inside.

I find toilet paper.

No way in hell I went through all that trouble for toilet paper.

I move everything around, but all I find is everyday toiletries. I throw one of the soap dispensers I find in frustration and my eyes widen when I see the bottom of the cabinet shake a bit.

This cabinet had a false bottom.

I pull it up and find a decorative box with even more seals on it, these being like the one on the cabinet, glowing yellow. I wasn't going to test this one, for fear of losing a finger, so I opened it with the comb.

My eyebrow raised as I found multiple three-pronged kunai with transportation seals on them. It seemed that this boy had quite more than one secret. I inspect them as well as I can with out touching them or activating Sharingan and smirk, closing the lid and placing everything where I found it.

Wouldn't want my first mystery knowing I was on to him.

I set a new goal for my self to find out everything I can about the blonde, his name, his life, his secrets, why he had a surplus of toilet paper... The list goes on.

One thing that made me suspicious was that the seals in the bathroom and the seals in the bedroom were so different, but from the same root-seal. Senju. So either the boy made all of the seals, or the seals were made by two different people of Konoha, the village founded by Senju.

Deidara is from Iwa...

I sigh, confused and frustrated.

Some mysteries are better solved after a good night's rest.

I walk out of the bathroom, pleased with my findings but too tired to dwell on them, and go to bed.

Only five hours later am I awakened by Deidara beating me with a pillow telling me to get out of the bed, the room and his house.

What pissed him off?

**A 3(heart) to 'Maximoffs forever'! My first 'Sei Ryoku' Review and alert! **

**&'thegreatandillustriousLEADER' who favorited P&P!**

**~I love you!~**

**Story wise, I know, kinda boring... sorry guys.**

**I'll be sure to take POV breaks sooner, and not have them drag on... sorry!**

**ANYWAYS! Yeah, so I'm hoping to get all the boring back-story over with within the next chapter and have the real drama start to go down? What do you think? About anything?**

**Review! As promised, I do give 3(hearts) to my reviewers! I think they come out as threes when posted though... oh well, if you review you get a three!**

** ~SaLEm**


	7. A Walk Down Memory Lane

**Why hello there~**

**Nice to see you again...**

**Chapter Six 'recap': Sasuke gets to searching through the 'mysterious spare-room'(what is this, Narnia?) and finds crazy secret junk and Deidara ventures off into his own room to spy on Itachi and 'Kurama', AKA Madara. He sees them getting' all cuddly and is like, wtf, I thought _I _was Itachi's bff... And then a lot of crazy secret back story and spying, then it's morning-ish and Itachi takes out his sensei with their Kekkei genkai so he can get some sleep and Deidara is like, 'woah, wth, that was cold' but never the less, he brushes it off and goes to wake up Sasuke who takes after his brother. A cuddler.**

**Chapter Seven~**

A Walk Down Memory Lane

**Itachi PoV**

I wake up to find dawn approaching. Sensei didn't wake me. Perhaps he is angry that I slept so close to him? Maybe he thought I was being clingy... It wasn't my intention, I just felt pulled to him, especially when I was so tired, plus I haven't been around him in around seventeen years, so it was only natural to want to be so close to him. Right? Right.

It made me feel like I was a child again, like when I fell asleep against him when he first took me in. He told me that the need to be around one another was only a side-effect of the mark, but that was before we were sealed together, so it couldn't be blamed on our binding. That didn't stop _him_ from playing the blame-game though.

I pull myself from Madara, who had long stopped rocking me. He was the one to sooth me to sleep when it felt like insomnia had finally taken me after the years hard training, being prepped for my double agent duties. After a long day of physical and mental training with Konoha's ANBU and the clan meeting, and that excluded the Sharingan training I had with Madara, I felt like nothing, too tired to even sleep. Despite that, Madara was somehow capable of lulling me into the deepest of slumbers.

But now, he looked as if he needed the same treatment. Madara had shadows under his wide, scanning eyes. His muscles were tense and rigid, he looked like he had a million things going on in his head at once. It saddened me to see him like this, as if his inner troubles were passing through to me.

I honestly can't understand why the seals in this house bother him so much. I suppose he is only tolerant of the Uchiha seals in our abandoned complex because they are of a different root-seal. Sensei has always been very picky about seals, always demanding that they be either of Uchiha or Rikudou Sennin seals, just because they were darker and easier to mold with our dark chakra.

I wasn't going to make Deidara take down his seals just because they didn't mesh well with my chakra.

As much as it bothered me, there were only a couple in the main room so I make myself ignore it, but they seem to really take a toll not only on my sensei's Uchiha body, but on his psych. He didn't seem to be caught up with reality, but something else, something triggered by the discomfort he was experiencing due to the seals.

We still had another two hours before we were to leave, and no one else in the house was awake, as I could still hear Kisame's deep snores. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, but I couldn't leave my sensei in such a state, waiting for our departure.

I place a knee on the bed and lean down until we are face to face, trying to get his attention. His eyes continued to wander, almost looking for the invisible seals, worrying the inside of his lip. I put my hands on his face, trying to sooth him. This action finally caught his eyes, as they stopped their scanning and focused on my face.

I thumbed at his mask, almost wanting to take it off to reveal the parts it hid away, but refrained from pulling it down. I took a deep breath, preparing myself, and closed my eyes to change them. I felt my sensei tense up more so, if possible, and almost twitch, unsure if he should lean closer or away before choosing the latter.

When I opened my eyes, all of the tenseness drained from him, and he fell heavily on the bed. I did it for his own good. We couldn't have him checking in with us at the school acting all sleep-deprived, it just didn't look very promising to a school administrator, and frankly, I was tired of having to use genjutsu on my 'employers'.

As I stand there, watching him, moving his hair, I am tempted to lift his eyelids and probe his mind. It's been a childish fantasy of mine ever since I was assigned as his student. I wanted to see what he thought, what memories he held dear, which memories his suppressed, and everything in between.

I sigh, pulling the blanket up to his chin and turning to walk away.

Unfortunately, doing that would get me killed. Uchiha had an unspoken rule: Unless in battle, using Sharingan on a fellow Uchiha will end in serious punishment. Most offenders usually answered to the one they wronged, but in some cases, the punishment was taken into the hands of Council, who blinded you for a month by whatever means necessary.

Sure, it seemed drastic, but in our clan, misusing Sharingan was a serious offense, not to mention culturally rude and frowned upon.

Basically, invading an Uchiha's mind, in any way, was like pantsing them, then reading their diary over the intercom at their office in front of their subordinates. It was more than humiliation and invasion of privacy, but also a slap to the face.

Uchiha parents didn't even do it to their children. It was just culturally unacceptable.

That's why it was so bad when I did it to Sasuke. That's the only crime I've ever felt guilt towards.

But all of that is in the past now, especially the Uchiha way, so I refuse to let it get to me.

All I did was send Sensei into sleep, so I have committed no crime. At most, Madara will refuse to speak to me and I will be forced to suffer his glares.

I make my way to the kitchen, sitting at the bar with a small smile playing at my lips. It felt good to be around someone that was solely mine. I no longer had to dream about talking with him or being in his presence, he was right here. Literally my dream come true, as awful as it sounded.

I am startled out of my musings as the eerie morning stillness is interrupted by abrupt yelling and general ruckus. What the hell was that? Complete silence, and as soon as the door to that spare room is opened, sound floods out. Why sound proof a shrine-room from the rest of the house?

Maybe Madara was right in his suspicions of Deidara...

I look toward the hallway to see a pouting Sasuke and a sneering Deidara. Sasuke sits at one of the bar stools in the kitchen angrily, glaring at anything he set his eyes on. Uchiha are not morning people.

Deidara approaches Sasuke, making some inside gesture to him making Sasuke roll his eyes. Deidara only smirked before turning to me. "Sleep well, un?" I didn't respond, but I knew Deidara would understand. I didn't often talk unless it was necessary in front of other people. I usually remain silent Akatsuki meetings, and only join in on the banter if I feel like I have something to say.

Deidara usually takes it all in stride, talking enough for the both of us, as well as Sasori.

I re-tie my hair back, catching Deidara ogle my newly exposed neck. I suppose it looked different, because before Sensei got his body back, it looked like a scar. Now, it seems that the mark had slowly darkened, making the insignia look inked, but blended with my flesh. I wasn't worried about him, though, he had no idea what it meant. All I had ever told him was that it was from my sensei, then I made this bullshit lie about it being a teacher-student thing between Uchiha. He didn't have to know our secrets, Sensei was mine and I didn't have to share. Plus, Madara's was well covered by his mask and black turtle-neck shirt. I move my hair over my shoulder to hide it from his eyes, making him awkwardly look away and continue to talk.

We sat like that for awhile, Deidara talking about whatever came to mind, usually something to do with 'Sasori no danna' or explosives, prattling on about things that bugged him as he slowly discovered that Sasuke wasn't a talker either, and had no qualms about informing Deidara of that fact.

"Do you ever shut up?"

At least I had manners. I also knew that saying something like that would make it worse, but let us continue to call it 'manners'.

"What the fuck did you just say to me, un?"

Sasuke didn't really seem keen on Deidara's personality type. He brought two fingers to his head, massaging his temples, "I asked if you ever shut up. Are you deaf, too? Or is it that you only talk to make sure you can still hear yourself."

That didn't help.

Deidara was red with rage, "Do you want me to blow your fucking head off you little shit?"

I hold Deidara back as he removes the gloves from his mouthed hands.

"Now, Deidara, I would appreciate it if left him alive. I also think an explosion of that caliber would cause quite the scene in this suburban neighborhood, don't you think?"

Sasuke stared at Deidara's palms with a raised eyebrow, while Deidara only nodded tauntingly in my brother's direction. "Well, if we happen to be else where any time soon, Sasuke-san, just know these hands are ready for you, un."

Sasuke watched with mixed emotions as a tongue darted out from one of the mouths, wetting the lips and grinning maliciously.

"Are you coming on to me?"

I smothered a laugh with my hand, struggling to hold Deidara back, when all three of us here a strangled hiss from across the room.

We freeze, listening to the labored breathing coming from the living room, where Madara was sleeping.

I lead us into the main room slowly and try not to run towards the bed when I see Sensei's distressed form. Sasuke stays back, not wanting to be too close if Uchiha Madara wakes up in a rage, while Deidara and I stop a foot from the bed.

"What's wrong with him, un?" Deidara asks, looking to me. I only stare at him, unable to do anything. I see the muscles of his jaw clenched tight even through his mask, his gloved fingers digging into the sheets beneath him and I become despaired. What kind of terrible things haunted Uchiha Madara's dreams? What subconscious images were horrible enough to affect him?

I do all I can do, placing my hand at our bond while trying to think of comforting, pleasing things to bring him out of the disturbia of his mind. I almost jump back, the 'pleasing' thoughts being too graphic, but hey, I'd personally take wet-dreams of nightmares any day, especially if his nightmares are as bad as mine.

It seems to help for a bit, I watch him freeze and arch his back. At first, his sleeping form seems stunned, then he begins thrashing violently, making Deidara back away.

"What the hell, un? Is he seizing?" I begin to think the same thing as I watch his arms claw at the bedding, pulling him away from whatever terrorized his dreams.

We all jump as his eyes pop open, strangely red, but not Sharingan. Madara springs up, sweating, pulling at his mask as he compulsively gasped for air, before pushing Deidara out of the way before disappearing, a dark smoke-like after-shock being the only evidence of his being there.

That was the first time I had ever seen him teleport like that, but I kept a calm facade to downplay my own shock.

Was that a panic thing? He usually only walked through things, but I've never seen him just vanish like that. I've also never seen him so distressed by something, so I wouldn't know if it was indeed a 'panic thing'.

We are all frozen, unsure what to do or where Madara had disappeared to.

Deidara was the first to hesitantly break the silence. "Where... Where do you think he went, un?"

Another minute of silence follows and we hear the tell tale sound of vomiting coming from the hallway bathroom.

We all exhale the breath we were unknowingly holding and I walk to the bathroom to repeat the process of holding Sensei's hair, but the door seems to be locked. Strange, that was the bathroom that led into the mysteriously sealed shrine-room. As if both my sensei and I became aware of this simultaneously, he bursts out of the bathroom, almost taking me down if I hadn't jumped away.

Deidara, Sasuke and I stand in the kitchen area, watching with wide eyes as Madara pants on his hands and knees a few feet away from us.

He slowly rises, wiping sweat off his cheek with his palm before his eyes dart to me, giving me a look that could set me ablaze.

Sasuke and Deidara back away as he angrily approaches, full Sharingan spinning angrily, unmasked teeth bared. I remain in my spot, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, unsure of his intentions.

He back hands me. Hard.

My hand flies to my cheek, burning red and scratched by his angry claws. It takes me a second to realize that he had knocked me into a wall, the force vibrating through the entire house.

I bring my hand down quickly, not wanting to be anymore humiliated, and meet my mate's eyes that were burning with an uncontrollable fury that I had never seen.

Madara stepped closer until he was nose to nose with my now up-right form, then tipped his head forward. He was looking down at me. It had nothing to do with his slightly superior height, but this was Uchiha body language, he wanted me to be absolutely certain of who was in charge of this particular situation.

He was so enraged that when he inhaled, his chest shook. "Uchiha Itachi, if you ever use your eyes against me again without my say, I _will_ _**kill**_ you. You know the gravity of your crimes, especially against me." I couldn't believe it. I was more surprised than when he rose from the well.

He looked ready to say more, but held his tongue, walking through the front door, then slamming it, waiting out in the shade of the patio.

I stared at the spot that he stood in, completely floored. I felt that my face had contorted into complete shock, my lips parted in awe, eyes wide, but there was nothing I could do. I felt completely stupefied.

After it all set in, I truly did feel the gravity of his words, and gravity suddenly seemed so heavy. I felt a strange weight on my chest, a strange desperate-feeling emotion taking over.

Madara, my sensei, my mate, had just said that he would kill me. Not an empty threat, or even a threat at all, but a promise that despite everything we've been through, every moment spent in each other's presence, he would righteously watch as the light left my black eyes, my last breath escaped my lungs and life deserted my body.

He meant every word.

Gravity, indeed...

**Deidara PoV**

So here I am, trying to show these weird Uchiha freaks that its okay to talk, when this little ass-wipe tells me to shut up.

Being the merciful hanyou I am, I give him an out, albeit an equally rude out. "What the fuck did you just say to me, un?"

Instead of taking the out and mumbling 'nothing' or telling some lie, he replies with, "I asked if you ever shut up. Are you deaf, too? Or is it that you only talk to make sure you can still hear yourself."

What the fuck, un!

Now I'm mad. Not only do you tell me to shut up, but then you call me deaf?

"Do you want me to blow your fucking head off you little shit?" I take off the gloves I wore to hide my hands from my brother. It just got real.

Jesus, I would shoot myself if Naruto were like this!

Hell, I'd shoot _Naruto_!

Hell, _Naruto_ would shoot Naruto!

I guess hating assholes is genetic?

I bet dad hated assholes...

I feel Itachi holding me back, saying something about blowing up the neighborhood. Yeah, the neighbors hate us enough...

I still warn Sasuke, "Well, if we happen to be else where any time soon, Sasuke-san, just know these hands are ready for you, un." Then the clay-chewing bomb makers grin, threatening the wanna-be Itachi.

Then this prick has the nerve... "Are you coming on to me?"

I hear Itachi cough into his hand, trying not to laugh.

I'm gonna fucking kill that bra-

I hear something hissed from across the house.

This matter will have to be sorted at a later date...

We all tip-toe into the living room, then cautiously approach the bed to discover that Kurama was the source of the hiss.

As Itachi and I approached, Sasuke choosing to stay back for some reason, I notice that his forehead was sweating profusely, and if it weren't for all of the concealing clothing, I'd say the rest of him was sweating just as hard.

Now, I've seen an Uchiha nightmare. They're bad. Itachi almost severed Kisame's head once after re-living The Uchiha Massacre. It seemed like every Uchiha had some fucked up, traumatizing past they had to survive through, all angsty and scary-looking, but I honestly couldn't make that assumption since I only knew two.

Still, this guy must've had a pretty fucked up life himself, though, if his tremors were anything to go by.

"What's wrong with him, un?" But I received no answer.

I look at Itachi from the corner of my eye and see that this was new to him as well. He makes this weird constipated face before nervously rubbing that weird tattoo he never talked about. Itachi seems to be concerned, as if he knows something we don't, but continues to keep quiet about it, watching Kurama tense and writhe.

I'm about to ask what his problem is when I hear an odd-sounding gasp, looking just in time to Kurama arch his back awkwardly, then freeze.

Did we mistake his nightmare for some kind of kink-dream?

I begin thinking so, but he starts writhing even harder, almost trying to get away from himself.

"What the hell, un? Is he seizing?" Itachi couldn't answer that one either, only watching as his partner tried to claw his way through my good linens and out of his nightmare.

Ha, good luck, there's no way he'll be able to get out of Itachi's gen-.

But I'm wrong, because he springs up from the bed, almost hyperventilating to the point that he has to take off his mask, then pushing me out of the way before completely disappearing, leaving behind some creepy black dust to dissipate and pollute my house's air supply.

Sad day, too, because he disappeared before I could get a good look at his face...

I stay in frozen in place, shell shocked for the umpteenth time in the last twelve hours. Someone just broke out of Itachi's genjutsu. Sure, it wasn't a battle genjutsu, but still. Even if it was only to induce sleep, it was Uchiha Itachi's genjutsu.

"Where... Where do you think he went, un?" Silence.

None of us move until we here the sound of someone gagging loudly in the hall bathroom.

I exhale loudly. I didn't realize I was holding my breath, but I begin holding another gulp of air hostage as Itachi approaches the bathroom.

The bathroom connected to the 'spare room'.

Naruto's bathroom.

I see Sasuke glance at me, but before I can do anything Kurama flies out of the bathroom, almost making Itachi a casualty.

With Itachi standing in front of me, and Kurama panting in my living room floor, I set the oxygen free, but not for long.

After Kurama seems to pull himself together, he approaches Itachi in the most threatening way I had ever seen, making Sasuke and I back away with every enraged step he takes.

I'm of course worried that this poor idiot was about to get himself killed walking up to Itachi like that. I stand there, waiting for Kurama to crumple to the floor, to his death, but it never happens. He just continues storming up to Itachi.

Then I see it. In his eyes, spinning like crazy, blazing red Sharingan.

Kurama is an Uchiha.

Before I can even absorb this information, before I can even let it shock me, something even crazier happens.

He bitch-slaps Itachi into the fucking wall.

I remain still as the foundation of my home trembles.

And Itachi takes it.

When Itachi pulls himself from the wall I see Kurama step even closer, causing Itachi to take on this weird defiance kind of stance. It was weird because I had never seen him feel the need to challenge anyone. This stance quickly left him as Kurama stood in a similar, more angry stance.

Watching this scene completely floored me. It was like Uchiha had their own_ way_, and entire culture and means of communicating different from any other clan. Sure, there was basic, primal body language that any demon could understand, but this was Uchiha to Uchiha.

Kurama spoke, "Uchiha Itachi, if you ever use your eyes against me again without my say, I _will_ _**kill**_ you. You know the gravity of your crimes, especially against me."

Holy shit.

I watch slack jawed as Kurama stormed out, any other words dieing on his lips.

What got me even more was the those words affected Itachi.

He looked ready to die, not heartbroken, but destroyed. His eyes looked haunted as he stand there frozen in place.

I had never seen Itachi so devastated, nor did I know that he could even feel that way.

If I had ever hit Itachi- no, even threatened Itachi like that, he would've just killed me, not died inside.

That's when it clicked.

Itachi's 'trust and respect' in Kurama, the way they talked together, that weird scar turned tattoo, their unexplainable history together...

Itachi wasn't about to say Kurama's real name last night, because 'Sen'-whatever wasn't his name. Itachi was about to say 'Sensei'.

Kurama was Itachi's Sensei. Holy fuck, un.

The man who had practically brought up Itachi.

Now I understood why Itachi wasn't a talker. That little display right there explained everything.

Itachi spoke with his eyes, his body, because that's how he was raised. He grew up only speaking when necessary, otherwise communicating silently, and probably only with his sensei.

And now, that same sensei had crushed him just now.

So many things had just opened up in my head.

I honestly didn't know much about Uchiha history or customs other than what I've seen and heard from Itachi, but what could he have done to offend his sensei so bad? All he did was put him to sleep...

All of us remain in our spots, Sasuke staring at Itachi's back with a strange expression. What the hell, go comfort your brother! That was probably another Uchiha thing, emotional retardation. I could see that Sasuke wanted to though, so I suppose that's as good as it gets.

I feel myself gasp loudly, forgetting that I had once again stopped breathing. That's when Kisame entered from the game room.

"Hey, what'd I miss- Holy shit, what happened to your bathroom door?"

This seems to break the spell and we all move from our spots, Itachi walking to my room, Sasuke following me to the refrigerator to get some food.

I awkwardly cough, making eye-contact with the shark demon, shaking my head in a quick fashion to hint at the tense situation.

His lifts his head slowly, mouthing a silent 'Oh' in understanding and we are once again thrown into an awkward silence.

Then Kisame opens his stupid trap again.

"Where the hell is Kurama?"

**Madara PoV**

I feel Itachi awake, continuing to lay against my tense body before pulling away to look at me.

I don't know what time it was in the night, but I was awake while Itachi slept, when I felt it. It was like a spike in someone's energy, but the energy didn't belong to a person. It felt as if the seals through out the house were alive, fluctuating against the flow of my own chakra, like some kind of virus. I felt disgusted just sitting there. It felt like the Senju torture chamber all over again.

Why would Deidara have Senju seals?

I could see the dull yellow glow of the Senju tags, shifting my eyes from seal to seal continuously as had done all night. I could feel them slowly driving me to insanity. What if we were attacked sometime during the night? Could I have fought with my all?

Thoughts of that kind flew through my head, over and over, keeping me from any kind of sleep.

What if the seals crippled my mind? Did it pass on to Itachi? To Sasuke or any of my descendants?

Could Itachi feel it through our bond?

Said boy seems concerned for my well being, bending down so that we were face to face, but I can't bring myself to look at him in this state.

I feel his hands on my face and I inwardly flinch, not wanting the mask removed. He doesn't pull it down, though, he simply toys with it, catching my attention. I meet his eyes, soft and comforting, and I almost relax. Then, he leans closer, closing them.

Oh god, Itachi is going to kiss me.

I lean back, not wanting to go into something like this here, but his eyes snap open and I'm forced into my subconscious, not even feeling myself collapse.

I wake up to find that the seals had multiplied and they were now scattered layer upon layer all over the walls.

I feel a strange ringing in my head, repetitive and maniacal.

Then I realize it's me, laughing. This was when I was trapped in the chamber.

Then I feel it, the pain, the various cuts and wounds across my body, as well as the product of Senju techniques burnt onto my flesh, slow to heal. It only makes me laugh louder, triumphant in the fact that Hashirama was running out of ways to torture me. With his Senju blood, I now had the Rinnegan and there was nothing he could do about it.

Oh yes, I remember this.

I knew I was dreaming, the forced sleep dispelling my self-genjutsu, but there was nothing I could really do about it since I had no control over my subsconcious.

As much as being thrown back into this nightmare sucked, I think it sucks more that Itachi was the one to do it.

When I was younger, perhaps Sasuke's age, I learned how to place a subconscious genjutsu, preventing all dreams when I slept. Back then, everyone had nightmares, as it was a dark time in Uchiha history. I have thanked myself multiple times over for placing that genjutsu upon my mind, but that was no longer the case now.

Fuck you, Itachi.

Of course I'm sure the boy had no idea of what he had just done, but there was a reason using Sharingan against a fellow clansmen was such a taboo act.

Now, I must suffer through this once more.

I felt Senju's nails scrape against my hips as he violently tore my pants down, then forced himself into me, dry. I felt my vocal cords burn as my laughter reached psychotic volumes trying to cover up the fact that I was screaming. I wanted to end it right away, just use Rinnegan to make the building cave in on all of us. I wanted to use the Rinnegan to tear out his soul, hoping that he could feel the unbelievable pain I felt.

God it hurt, but I've already lived through this scene, I know what comes after. After I'm left there, limp and barely breathing, after the days of the tearing pain, after it fades and I heal, I have my revenge.

This dream is nothing but a memory, the burn of the cement scraping against my chest will fade.

I could live through the pain.

Then, I felt myself gasp and everything slowed down. The pain was still there, that part of the memory-dream had not changed, but there was a pulsing, spine tingling feeling thrown into the mix.

On the outside, I knew that this had never happened in the chamber, the memory obviously being skewed by something happening outside of my subconscious, but on the inside, my dream-self panicked. I felt myself think, 'He had done it, he completed the bond. I feel it.', for the hot pleasure was not coming from inside, but from where my body recognized to be where a bond-mark would reside.

I feel Senju rear back, then slam in again, for some reason making the bond respond as if the mark were his and not Itachi's. I felt my dream-body quake, hearing Senju laugh, "Oh? Did I strike a good nerve, there?" before slamming in again.

He leaned over and was now gripping my hair, making odd sounds escape from my mouth.

I felt myself become sick, frantically crawling away because while my subconscious mind still recognized this as memory, tried and true, pleasure and all, I personally knew it was a fucked up way to fuck up and already fucked up nightmare.

Did Itachi have hand in _this? _Was he in my head, watching the most secret scene of my life, torturing me with it, making it worse?

In reality, Senju had done this to bring the most pain and humiliation possible, but in this nightmare, he was truly enjoying it, bringing pleasure to himself through me and returning the favor.

I wanted nothing to do with the idea of _him_ pleasuring me, and I certainly wanted no hand in pleasuring him.

I couldn't allow this to go on any longer.

I felt myself panicking, fighting to break away from Senju and his hands. My brain fought with it's all, trying to force it's way out of the induced sleep genjutsu, which was not an easy task.

The next thing I see is Deidara's ceiling, and I'm hyperventilating, tearing at my mask, no longer caring if Deidara sees my face. I feel bile make it's merry way up my esophagus so I shove the blonde away from me before transporting myself to the nearest bathroom, not caring that my teleportation had not been of Sharingan, but of my 'special' blood, as clansmen like to put it.

I hug the toilet, emptying my stomach's contents immediately, waiting to feel better.

It only got worse.

I lifted my head to see even more seals, making my eyes sting and everything hurt, every cell in my body hurting more than the effects of the Susano'o.

I vaguely register the sound of the locked door-knob being turned, but failing to open, before I decide that it's a good time to get out of there.

No longer have the energy to teleport, I bust open the door.

I sit there on the floor, panting and struggling to get up, but when I do, I feel rage flow through me.

That little shit just went against everything he was brought up to be. If he thought the Uchiha way had died with it's creators, he was sadly mistaken. I am still here. Sasuke is still here. _He_ is still here.

Just because everyone else was gone, doesn't mean he can do whatever the hell he wants, and if he thinks so, he has another thing coming.

Me.

I step toward him, recognizing his indifference as a challenge. Well, if he wants to forget his roots, I'll just have to bring them back up, full force.

I don't remember when it happened, but by the time I am able to focus on Itachi's face, I realize my Sharingan has activated.

Fuck hiding everything, and fuck Itachi's secrets. Deidara won't say shit, so Itachi has nothing to worry about.

I see Sasuke and Deidara backing away, but Itachi giving no such respects, only raising his pompous little eyebrow, and I can no longer hold it in.

Without thinking, I lash out.

I didn't hit him as hard as I could have, but I had put my hands on him. I had to let at least some of it out.

He looks betrayed as he pulls himself from the wall, but I know he isn't a fool. Itachi is completely aware of his actions, along with every calculated thought that goes behind it. He knew exactly what he was doing when he knocked me out, as well as just how wrong it was.

But he did it anyway.

I just don't know _why_...

Itachi corrected his posture as he stood defiantly before me, but that changed very quickly. I was infuriated, and there was no chance of him winning this one.

Itachi had never been one to respond to simple words, so when we talked, there was usually another means of communication accompanying our conversation. I could only hope he could understand my next statements all the more as I tower over him, dominant and ready to hit him again if he defied me.

"Uchiha Itachi, if you ever use your eyes against me again without my say, I _will_ _**kill**_ you. You know the gravity of your crimes, especially against me." I feel my own breath hitch as I stop myself from saying more, already stumped as I watch his eyes reveal the inner turmoil crumpling both of our insides.

It was like punishing your child, then getting that miserable feeling in your chest as you watch them breakdown and cry.

I walk away, still angry, but no longer able to watch as Itachi's beautiful face contorts into pain.

I slam the door behind me, stomping out to the driveway and phasing into Itachi's car.

Perhaps the boy didn't realize just how exposed I felt? Honestly, though, he knew it was something that just wasn't done, yet he had done it anyways, and now I was a trembling mess.

After seeing his face, I doubt that Itachi was at fault for what I had dreamt, otherwise he would've reacted a certain way if he had purposely made me dream of the most horrible thing I had ever experienced, but had he _seen_ the dream?

At the thought, I suddenly feel myself become sick once more. This couldn't be happening, Itachi couldn't see this, Itachi couldn't know this side of me. There was no room for this kind of ancient history, certainly no room for weakness, for that matter.

If Itachi had not been responsible for the images my brain produced, why had it happened? It seemed apparent now that Itachi had at least been responsible for the physical reaction, otherwise that accursed mark would not have been the source of the sensation.

That aside, Itachi had been hovering over my sleeping form when I woke from that foul REM cycle.

Of course, Deidara had as well, but he didn't matter...

Even if torture wasn't his intention, there was still a screaming chance that Itachi had weasled his way into my subconscious thoughts and rooted around in my head. I feel myself shudder, the thought creeping me out a bit.

If Itachi had been linked to me via Sharingan, then the first thing that Itachi would've seen would have been the dream.

And without the prior knowledge that it had been tampered with, he would automatically think that my unwillingly pleasured groans were part of that hideous memory.

Then what would he think of me?

I didn't know how long I sat in the car, simply shaking with fury and fear that he had misunderstood if he had seen it at all, but next thing I knew, the driver's seat door was being opened and Itachi plopped into the car, soon followed by Sasuke, Kisame staying to take a different route later.

Good thing, too, because there was no way in hell I was moving from shotgun.

I feel eyes on me and I know they aren't Itachi's. I look into the side view mirror at Sasuke, making him look away as if caught red-handed. There were many things he didn't understand, even about himself, but now was no time to answer the boy's questions.

I'm about to dare a look at Itachi when I feel this sudden familiar spike. It wasn't from Itachi, it was different, but it was definitely something I was connected with, if the strange sensation in my eyes was anything to go by. I sit up straighter, inhaling through my nose and closing said tingling eyes, but as soon as I get my Sharingan going, it disappears.

That's... Odd.

I relax back into my seat, but only slightly. If whatever that was is connected to me, then it was not of this world, meaning Akatsuki is not the only 'hidden' group here in the unhidden world.

That's... Interesting.

I take my previous position, staring out the window and ignoring Itachi as he ignored me.

I look once more to the side view mirror to catch Sasuke again, but this time he doesn't look away. He gives me that 'What you just did was suspicious, I'm watching you.' kind of gaze, and I give him a playful smirk in return.

It seemed as if everything was happening at once, if that last little incident was anything to go by. Sasuke relaxes a bit, acting as if he only just now realized that I wouldn't do anything crazy, but still cautious of me and my peculiar ways. Ha, he didn't know the half of it.

I unwillingly roll my tongue over my sharpening canines.

Yes, there will be a time for answering questions, but now was not that time.

**Okay, sooo~**

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**Thanks to Mortimermortman and Maximoffs_forever for the reviews as well as everyone else(guests and others). Here are your respective threes! 3 3 3 3!**

**I hate that they can't be hearts...**

**So? Whatcha think? R&R!**

**~SaLEm**


	8. Discoveries

**Hello everyone! **

**Well, Here's chapter eight! And it's a LOOOOONG one. At least compared to the others...**

**I promise that once 'school starts', things will move a bit faster! Shit will be going down, for real this time!**

**But probably not in this Chapter... **

**Chapter seven 'Recap': Itachi, Deidara and Sasuke wake up and stand around in the kitchen, Madara's over there trippin' out in this nightmare, he wakes out of the genjutsu by force, teleports, comes back, bitch-slaps Itachi, threatens to kill him, then walks out. Of course, Itachi had no idea that he had just accidentally warped his sensei's torture-nightmare into something even worse. Itachi is confused and hurt, Madara is furious and hurt and everyone else is just lost.**

**Enjoy.**

**Chapter Eight~**

**Discoveries**

**Sasuke POV**

This is so awkward.

The entire car ride Itachi and Madara are ignoring each other. Itachi was just driving while Madara seemed to be getting excited about something, almost quietly giddy, before settling back into his seat, stealing glances at his former student. Weird. Just earlier he was pissed off. Oh well, not my business.

After awhile, I join them in the quiet-game, sorting my own thoughts. I kept getting weird dreams about my life, but they were almost memories, they didn't happen like dreams. It was like taking a class over my family history.

At first when Deidara told me what started the fight between Madara and my brother I didn't really understand what the big deal was, but after remembering my dream, I felt that Itachi deserved the bitch-slap of all bitch-slaps. I remember the day that Itachi got his Sharingan and father told him all of the rules that followed using his eyes.

I also remembered the day of the massacre, Itachi using the Tsukuyomi on me, how terrible it had been, how everything felt so real.

I can only imagine what Itachi did to his sensei, but what I couldn't figure out was why. There was absolutely no possible reason for doing that, especially in that setting. Deidara's house didn't seem like the best place for a Sharingan battle...

Honestly, if you're gonna start shit, do it somewhere reasonable.

I remain absorbed in my thoughts and before I know it, we finally make it down to this weird school and my brother and my-

Cousin? Uncle? Great-times-one-hundred grandfather?

Anyway, Itachi and Madara are registering us, under aliases of course, to get the keys to their 'apartment' as well as what shall be my 'dorm', and it's not going too well.

I imagine it would probably be easier if they could stop giving one another the silent treatment long enough to actually do something productive so I don't have to sit through another crowd of females asking for my phone number.

I don't have a fucking cell phone. Leave me alone.

I haven't been here for twenty minutes and I already hate this place.

This isn't a high school at all, or at least not one that I had ever seen...

It reminded me of one of those wanna-be college schools. This place was obviously a private school, or maybe a boarding school?

I don't like it either way.

School starts in like a week and a half, and yet people are already flocking to and from classes, chatting and giggling like a bunch of morons. I thought Americans were lazy and had year-long summers? Maybe it was a couple months long? Who cares, they're lazy.

Regardless, if these nerds had summer-classes, then they should get to it and stop fucking gawking at me.

I sit back in my chair, glancing around the office, then turning to look out from the glass wall to scan outside. I have yet to see anyone who isn't a human. Perhaps demons and immortals are supposed to register on special days? That would make sense...

_Sasuke, we're here but we lost Suigetsu. Fucking moron._

What the fuc- Oh yeah, it's Karin...

Curse mark telepathy surprises me sometimes...

I think about my reply for a bit. _Meet me in the courtyard._

I stealthily left my relatives behind, inwardly cackling at Itachi's expense. He was currently glaring at one of the school's administrators who was shamelessly trying to flirt with him. It didn't help that he had Madara at his side doing everything in his power to make the situation worse.

I hear Madara as I slip out of the office, "Well, April-san, I'm sure he would prefer to be the Japanese teacher. After all, your classrooms would be right next to each other and he seems to _adore_ your company. I can just tell." Ouch, that sucks.

Itachi probably likes humans as much as I do. They're all stupid fan-girls, even the men. They all want to be your friend for some stupid reason or another: your looks, your actions, your talents, the list goes on.

At least demons all wanted your company for the same reason: your lineage.

That was much less complicated.

I suppose many would kill to be in my shoes, but I honestly can't stand people.

I can barely tolerate the people I call my 'friends'. Juugo is okay, he barely talks and he's a pretty laid back guy, but I'd avoid getting him angry. He used to be this weird human that could talk to animals and shit, but he was bipolar so other humans stayed away from him because his episodes were so bad. When Orochimaru got a hold of him, well, he was never the same. None of us are.

Juugo's best friend, Kimimaro, was the only guy that could calm him down, but Juugo lost him to those ANBU assassins. He's stuck with me ever since.

Suigetsu... I honestly don't know why I keep him around. He's that guy that annoys the ever-loving shit out of you, but knows how you operate so he can do most of the talking for you. I hate talking to people, so we're perfect for each other. I wouldn't say we're friends, because I wouldn't call anyone 'friend', but we get along. He's like... the Kisame to my Itachi. Yeah, that's it.

He's a shark demon as well, so I guess that's pretty accurate.

Karin... is something else...

Karin was the one I had accompany me almost every where, be it on my missions from Orochimaru or secret missions with Juugo and Suigetsu about Itachi. She was a descendant of the immortal Uzumaki clan, and apparently it was some big secret. I kept her around for her crazy Uzumaki chakra, because it was damn useful.

And she was damn loyal.

The only down-side to Karin is that she wants my nuts. Bad.

It wouldn't be so bad if she weren't such a fan-girl about it, because she's actually extremely attractive, but she's just so _eager_, which was annoying.

But hey, if I ever get around to rebuilding my clan, I know where to turn. Uzumaki-Uchiha offspring were bound to be a bunch of little bad-asses.

I smirk to myself, weaving through people to make my way to the center of the campus to meet my rogue crew. By the time they're in my sight it becomes apparent that they located Suigetsu, who was now being chewed out by our only female friend.

I smirk at the familiar scene, Karin holding Suigetsu by his shirt-collar, arm raised and ready to punch a hole into his face. I would say that it's nice to see them, but that would be lame. Uchiha Sasuke is not lame.

I glance around before speaking, trying to prevent eaves dropping from nosy students. Seeing mostly Americans, I choose Japanese, most frankly because it's easier and I'm feeling a bit lazy.

"Yo." I seem to have picked up a habit from Madara.

Juugo nods his head at me in greeting, Karin grins and releases Suigetsu's collar abruptly, causing him to drop to the ground before he can give a greeting of his own.

Karin approaches me, "Sasuke!" I'm pretty happy she dropped the annoying honorific awhile back. It's also nice that she hadn't tried to hug me. Unlike most females, Karin knew better than to initiate contact with me, so she simply stepped closer and smiled to show her happiness with my presence.

She understood the taboo aspects of my clan's culture, probably because her own clan had quirks of it's own before it too had been eliminated. She respected the fact that Uchiha clansmen were not the touchy type, and there was more meaning to an Uchiha letting you just touch them. Mothers rarely even hugged their children, so naturally we are very picky about who puts they're hands on us.

I have a very personal bubble. Karin was cool with it.

This made her the only tolerable non-Uchiha female in existence, a title she was very proud of.

Suigetsu gets up from the ground and makes his way over, glaring and dusting himself off.

He speaks loudly in English, probably wanting to embarrass me if his greeting is anything to go by,

"Hey Sasuke, sad to see that you got rid of your skirt, it was kinda sexy. In a strictly androgynous kind of way, though. What happened to you, by the way?" I'm no expert on social interaction, but I'm quite sure that was not the way to start a conversation.

I reply anyway, switching to Japanese to get rid of the awkward stares he had attracted. "Well I can't exactly walk around out of the Hidden countries in mission gear, sorry to displease you, your bisexualness(1)." Suigetsu pouts, mumbling something angrily as Karin laughs at my joke. She giggles(ew) a little more before sobering.

The red-head looks down, "Really though, Sasuke, what happened to you? I woke up one morning and everyone was saying you had escaped. Orochimaru is rampaging the Hidden Sound. They say he's about to invade Konoha." She looks back up to meet my eyes, adjusting he glasses.

I inwardly sigh. It figures Orochimaru would stoop this low. I'm no fan of Konoha, because Itachi was a double agent for them and they fucked our lives up, but they had nothing to do with my kidnapping, so it would only stir more trouble.

I decide to reveal what happened that night to my old mission team. "Actually, I was kidnapped." I hear Suigetsu snicker, and Karin gasp.

The former smirks, "Prince Charming sweep you off your feet? Did he rescue you from the wicked witch of the Sound? Was he at least handsome?" I roll my eyes as he breaks into mad cackling.

"Well, Suigetsu, if you're that interested in my brother, I could always give you his number." That was a bluff of course, because as far as I know Itachi doesn't have a cell phone either, but my come-back seems to do the trick.

My white-haired friend has successfully been shut up. Even Juugo looks surprised.

Karin gasps, frantically whispering, "Uchiha Itachi? Oh my god, are you okay? Oh my god!"

Suigetsu was even worse. "Holy shit, did he try to peel your skin off? Oh man..." Where the fuck did _that_ come from?

I keep my face stoic, but it definitely took some effort. "No, I'm actually fine. There was no dismemberment or cannibalism or anything of the sort."

Suigetsu let out a relieved sigh, "I just thought about the legends and assumed he tried to eat your brain or something!"

Karin smacked him, "No, stupid, Rinnegan wielders do that! And they use the brain _waves_, not the brain itself, you idiot. Wait, it is brain-waves, right?"

Juugo and I share a moment, both rolling our eyes.

I clear my throat to successfully catch their attention, "Follow me to a more private area and I'll tell you everything." Personally, I had been growing tired of people staring at us, straining to hear our foreign conversation. There's always that off chance that someone who actually speaks Japanese could hear us, right?

I take them closer to the office where I saw a fountain earlier. I imagine with all the water running, no one would be able to hear us, and it's the best I can do for privacy.

I recite everything from Itachi abducting me to the crazy Sensei-student fight at Deidara's. I leave out that Itachi's sensei is Uchiha Madara, because no one outside of the Uchiha clan knew that, so I figured there was a reason behind that. I also told them to get their heads checked just in case they were missing memories too.

I'm not sure how one would go about doing that, but I felt that I should at least warn them.

When I told them of my memories they seemed surprised, so I assume Orochimaru only did that to me.

Lucky bastards.

"That's so crazy, man..." Suigetsu was shaking his head in disbelief, looking at the ground. "I'm glad we could get out of there..." At this, Karin raised her head to glare at Suigetsu, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"The only reason you got out was because my plan was genius and Juugo's ape-strength made it possible to bust you out of your fish-tank!" Juugo seemed to scowl as hard as Suigetsu at the 'ape-strength' comment.

Karin and Suigetsu were about to start arguing when Juugo decided to finally speak.

"What are the Uchihas like?" This caught the attention of the other two, who were also curious.

That's when Karin wonders off to dream-land. "Man, I bet Itachi's as cool as Sasuke! ...And then Itachi's sensei! The man who _taught__** Itachi**_!"

I lean back, thinking. "Calm down, Karin, it's hard to say, since I haven't really been around them long. I don't how Itachi _really _acts and I've only known Ma- Kurama outside of his weird ghost-shit for a few days."

"Makurama?"

"No, Suigetsu, do you need to brush up on your Japanese? I meant Kurama." I roll my eyes and they buy it. That was close...

Juugo leaned forward a bit, "Well, how do they act so far?"

I go over everything that has occurred over the past day-

Wow, it hasn't even been a full forty-eight hours.

I shake my head, going back to my thoughts before voicing them, "Well, I at first thought Kurama was insane and annoying, but he's really laid back, though you don't want to get him mad. He's beyond powerful. Itachi's still serious, but it doesn't seem to be as bad as I thought, because he's pretty laid back too. It's like both of them go through these crazy mood-swings, and they fight all the time, but luckily for everyone else in the world, they haven't tried to kill each other."

Suigetsu scratched his head, "What do you mean by that?" Ugh, I hate talking so much.

"I mean, that there would probably be more than a few casualties. I've already seen the result of what looked to be a small misunderstanding; There were parts of the _wall _caved in."

He seemed to think this over, "...They sound... Kick-ass! Kinda scary, though..." Karin hits him again.

Honestly, you'd think he would learn.

I sit there for a bit longer, listening to them talk. It was mostly Suigetsu, while Juugo listened and Karin tried to block him out.

Then Karin almost squeeled. Ugh, females...

"It's Itachi! Oh my god, is that his sensei?" Suigetsu sighed.

"Karin, they aren't rock-stars."

"Shut the fuck up, fish-face! I can't hear what they're saying!"I can't help but notice how angry her Japanese sounds...

I turn to see my brother and Madara walking outside, finally talking. Curious, I activate Sharingan, then for he sake of my crew, I recite the words I read from their lips. See, I do nice things...

At the moment, they're simply walking together in silence, Itachi reading off of a packet as he walks.

I hear Karin mumble, "They look so scary..." under her breath.

She doesn't know the half of it.

Finally, Itachi speaks. "We're in suite 117 of the western dorms B on the teacher's level."

Madara's face sours, "Will I have a bed of my own, or will I have to share that as well?" Itachi looks up from his packet, but refuses to look at his sensei.

"What are you talking about?" Madara stares at Itachi from the corner of his eye. "Well I assume that since I have to share my inner most thoughts that privacy was no longer an issue in your screwed up little brain."

After I share that, Suigetsu laughs.

Itachi smirks, once more staring at his papers as he walks, "Really? 'Cause I wouldn't mind waking up next to you and those little sounds you were making in your sleep." That was awkward to say...

At this, they both stop walking, Madara's eyes squinted in a glare, his jaw slack. Itachi looks at his surroundings, purposely ignoring Madara's look, then returns to reading his paper, smirk still in tact.

Madara stares at him, unsure of how to respond to such a comment, before closing his mouth and slapping the papers out of Itachi's hand in an upper-cut fashion before strutting off in a 'hmph!' sort of way.

As papers rain around him, Itachi's face imitates Madara's previous expression, staring at his sensei's back as he walks away, then smiling and leaning down to pick up his packet.

Karin giggles, "They argue like an old married couple. It kinda knocks out their scary-factor..."

Suigetsu gives an agreeable grunt, "Yeah, for a second I thought that guy was going to Tsukuyomi Itachi or something."

Karin shakes her head at him, "He can't do that, it's like, forbidden or something. It'd be like you eating shark."

"That wasn't even funny, dumb bitch. I can eat shark if I want to." Suigetsu deadpans.

He receives a smack to the face.

This only fuels him more. "It's really cute, though, how you know all about the Uchiha. You gonna start a fan-club?" Another smack.

Suigetsu only laughs, curling up on himself to avoid the fatal blows. Once Karin finishes, she looks to me.

"So are they always like that?"

That question made me think... They seem to act different when they're by themselves, but then again, they haven't really strayed far from the other since reunited.

I tell them my thoughts, Juugo looking confused.

Suigetsu expresses his thoughts, "Uchiha dudes are creepy as fuck... OW! Stop fucking hitting me, Karin!"

Her Japanese is once again gruff and angry, "Sasuke isn't creepy!"

Juugo and Suigetsu give her a look.

Even _I _give her a look.

Uchiha were nothing but scary and creepy. No denial there.

She only pouts, turning away from our stares.

I sigh, shaking my head at their antics, "Look, let's get you guys registered so I don't have to bear the human world alone."

Suigetsu snickers at me, "Aww, he loves us!" He then races toward me, arms wide open, ready to tackle me in an embrace.

I stiff-arm him.

"No, Suigetsu. Misery loves company. That's all this is." Suigetsu pouts, making Karin laugh at his general sadness as we walk away, me leading them to where they need to be.

Suigetsu throws an arm over my shoulder, then another over Karin's who was walking next to me.

"Whatever, you know you love us."

**Naruto POV**

Here I am, taking the quicker route, running, to my extremely missed home. This would be a nice, breezy trip if I weren't currently shitting my pants about this morning.

-FlashBack~-

_After the texting ordeal, the three of us decide it's time to wake our lazy asses up._

_There we are, joking around in the bathroom._

_Our bathroom fun being something like this:_

"_Scoot over, Gaara, you're hogging the sink! I gotta brush my teeth too!"_

_Gaara glares._

"_Sakura, I suggest you leave Gaara alone, he still seems cranky..."_

_Gaara turns his head to me._

_He glares._

_I'm not sure how one looks so menacing with a foamy toothbrush dangling from his mouth, but he does it._

_Sakura rolls her eyes, "Whatever, I just need to rinse my mouth, then our red-headed beauty queen can brush in front of the mirror all he wants."_

_Gaara glares._

_I laugh and unzip my pants and aim my Mr. Feel Good into the porcelain ring, only to get smacked in the back of the head._

"_What the hell Naruto! There's a lady in the room!"_

_I turn my body toward her, gesturing downward, "I thought you said you had to rinse your mouth?" Smacked again..._

"_God, you're disgusting!"_

_Then, as she flailed her girly limbs at me, her crazy cat-nails get caught on Gaara's T-shirt. _

_She screams.  
_

"_Ow! Fuck you Naruto, don't laugh! You're jerking the nail! Stop moving!"_

_It was just so funny, though. _

"_Whatever, take the shirt, I gotta shower anyways. And shut your trap, you'll wake up Neil." I never understood why her brother was white, but she was 'indian' or whatever._

_I shake my head, taking off my shirt carefully so she could stop her bitching._

"_Uzumaki..."_

_I look up at Gaara, freezing with the shirt and Sakura's attached hand over my head, but she had stopped too._

"_What's up, Gaara?"_

_He only glances down to my stomach, then back to me, raising an invisible eyebrow._

"_...Are you checking me out, Gaara? I told you-"_

_But Sakura smacks my head, removing the shirt from my arms and un-snagging her nail from the cloth._

_Gaara gives me a deadpan kind of look, then steps closer._

"_Your seal looks different. What are these, where did they come from and when did they get there?" _

_I look down, then shove Sakura away from the mirror before tugging Gaara's pajama bottoms lower down my hips to stare._

_We all gather 'round the mirror, confused._

_There, surrounding my seal, were six freaky comma-looking things. But what really freaked me out was the six bigger commas, all in a line across my chest, three on each side._

_I look to Gaara, my voice shaking a bit. "I can't answer any of those questions, but I know for sure that they weren't there yesterday..."_

_Sakura nods her head, agreeing, then sharply turns it to look at me. "Why is the seal even visible? You weren't using the fox's chakra, were you? Has it been acting funny?"_

_Another weird thing, because I can usually only see it if we're communicating somehow or if I'm fighting. _

_I clear my throught, "Maybe because we were using their voices last night?"_

_Gaara shook his head, "My beast would have exhibited similar behavior." Fuck Gaara and his smart words..._

_I shake my head, not wanting to believe this was solely Kyuubi, and Gaara speaks. "We should talk with Jiraiya or someone about this. Let's go to Hidden Leaf early, then we can talk before our mission tonight."_

_I nervously shake my head, "Nah, I can talk to Bee about it, he would know. I'm gonna head home though, gotta teleport to Lightning and all. Heh heh..." I wave them off, stealing my wife beater back from Sakura and grabbing my bag before saying goodbye and leaving._

_-End FlashBack~-_

So here I am now, on my way home, having a secret conversation with Kurama.

_Holy shit, what's happening? What did you do?_

**Calm down, brat. Your yelling echoes through my chambers...**

_Oh, sorry... But why did you tweak my- our seal? You could have warned me. Rude._

**Don't assume, brat, I did nothing of the sort. This has nothing to do with either of u-**

And he just stopped talking. I felt myself freeze against my will, all of my muscles and joints locking up, and Kyuubi completely disappearing, smothering his chakra.

Everything around me becomes deafeningly loud as I instinctively look and listen to my surroundings, sounds of car, people and the occasional bird intensifying. I was on the block of bear land directly behind my street, a few more feet up the hill and I would be facing the fence that divided my back yard from the untouched half-wilderness I now walked through, but I remain frozen. I don't know how long I stayed like that, but it was long after the gut spontaneous gut-twisting fear had dissipated before Kyuubi spoke and I moved.

**Kit, take us into that room.**

Now that was weird. Kyuubi hated the seals in my room a much as he hated Uchiha Madara!

...Okay, that was a stretch. Any time Kakashi-sensei told us about his eye or anything of the Uchiha in general, Kurama would growl and grumble in my head, especially when Kakashi spoke about the Kyuubi attack.

I of course kept everything I knew a secret, because honestly, I didn't see anyone of Konoha believing that Uchiha Madara just came back from the dead and mind-fucked Kurama into rampaging them.

**I can hear your thoughts, brat.**

_So?_

He stayed silent until I shakily made my way to my house, hopping the fence and slipping in through the back door, glad that Deidara wasn't there to greet me for once.

I walked into my room, only to freeze once more.

Someone had been in here.

I rub my face, sighing at myself. Honestly, ANBU had made me so paranoid, it could have easily been Deidara coming in here to steal some of my underwear.

I couldn't blame him, though, I had seen his underwear drawer. I would get tired of wearing all that sexy shit all the time, too.

I remove my hands from my face, grinning at the humor of my thoughts. Jeez, sometimes Deidara was too gay for his own good.

**Stop.** Just as I take a step deeper into my room.

I look around, seeing nothing strange besides the small drop of blood on the floor and my messed sheets.

All the blood drains from my face.

**Someone besides Deidara has been in here. Take us to the blood.**

I nod for some reason, then bend down in front of my dresser, putting my face towards the floor, swallowing before inhaling deeply through my nose.

The blood smelled bitter-sweet in an exceedingly familiar way, but I know I had never smelled this before.

I hear Kyuubi hiss in the back of my mind.

_Do you know who's it is?_

**Not who it belongs to, but I know the demon's origin.**

Deidara let a demon into my room? Deidara didn't let anyone in my room.

_Well?_

He seemed to hesitate, growling. **It's Uchiha.**

Well damn. Don't hear that every day.

_You think Deidara let Itachi come in here?_ Because frankly, he was the only Uchiha that was wandering the earth.

But still, that would suck. I know they're bro's and everything, and I also know that Itachi fucks my brother's brains out, but letting him explore my room was kind of not-cool.

I hear Kyuubi grumbling, which usually means he's thinking. **...No. It is not Itachi's blood. I don't believe Deidara would let him in here.**

This probably should have scared me more, but I only knew what Kakashi told me about Uchiha's, so I didn't really know what to think.

Wasn't Itachi the last one? I mean, the blood did have a few distinct differences in smell, but I've only smelt things that Itachi has left his scent on, which is usually, and disturbingly, my brother's sheets, so I didn't really know what his blood smelt like.

And apparently in the demon world, knowing someone's blood was pretty important for recognizing that person.

Kyuubi and I threw thoughts back and forth as to who could have been in my room, before I remembered what happened earlier in the evening.

_Kurama, what happened back there?_

He knew exactly what I was talking about, so I didn't have to elaborate. Even so, he remained hesitant to speak.

**I believe the sannin are correct in their uneasy feelings.**

Oh, well, thanks for answering absolutely nothing.

_Okay? Like, what are we talking here? Akatsuki, the snake guy? _

**Far worse. At least for us, personally.**

Still confused. I couldn't really feel scared unless I know what to be scared of, since he was adamant on being vague.

All I know at the moment was that an Uchiha had been in my room that wasn't Itachi, and that it was a big deal.

Everyone in ANBU had heard about all of the eye legends, but it seemed that unless you were actually apart of that legend, you didn't know _everything_. After Iruka told all of the Rookie ANBU the story, Kyuubi scoffed at the lack of information he had, then proceeded to tell me some pretty interesting things.

Needless to say, I avoided eye-contact with the Hyuuga cousins for awhile. The whole 'I-will-eat-your-soul' thing kind of freaked me out.

I don't think they could tell though, because my team's identity is kept under tighter wraps than the other ANBU, mainly because Gaara and I had the Akatsuki on our tail, meaning our masks and hoods never came off.

It was just safer that way. Plus, it made me feel cool that people were so curious and interested in my identity.

Rock Lee always asked that we take off at least our hoods, but then we may as well take off the masks too, because honestly, how many people had pink and red hair?

We also had undercover missions with certain ANBU, and it was funny to see how they acted away from their masked superiors...

Most ANBU weren't of Demonic heritage, the majority being like my team, simply a gift passed on to you, so the fact that we had the Inuzuka and Aburame clan members was pretty crazy.

Well, not so much clans like that, but more over the Legendary Hyuuga clan.

Being from a neutral clan, Neji and Hinata had to go against the clan head, Hyuuga Hiashi. Neji had first joined to spite Hiashi, then Hinata joined to be with her favored cousin. She had at first been shy and fragile, but I broke her out of that _real _quick, now she acted like the heiress she was, strong, beautiful and confident.

Neji still had mixed feelings about that one.

He seemed glad that she was no longer so breakable, but he was uneasy about the lingering stares and cat-calls she got from people who didn't realize she was royalty.

I'm pretty sure the school I'm 'guarding' is the same one that they're attending, meaning they're close by.

I wonder if Neji or Hinata can sense an Uchiha nearby? Would they be able to do that? Were the eye-clans tied?

**No. The Hyuuga would have to look for the Uchiha.**

Woah, I forget he's there sometimes...

**Thanks, kit. **

_Anytime?_

**I was thinking the same thing, making the Hyuuga look, but I think informing ANBU of the Uchiha appearance would only make trouble for us, as well as bring casualties.**

Woah, okay, casualties?

_Why casualties?_

_**Because Uchiha are evil, ruthless creatures!**_

_Okay! Let's cool off?_

I was starting to get a bit worked up. This was a pretty terrifying idea, an Uchiha getting into my room.

Then I made the mistake of asking what the danger of nearing an Uchiha was.

**Take us outside.**

_What? What if Deidara comes home?_

**Take us to the bare land behind the houses.**

I sigh, marching out of my room, my house, my backyard until I'm walking deep into the forest, trees getting thicker.

I stop and wait.

**Let me out.**

What?

_No way!_

**I have to show you something. Let. Me. Out.**

My parents would be rolling in their graves if they could see me.

I released part of the seal, something I had learned in both Sage and Bijuu training, and waited. And waited.

And waited.

Just when I thought he had fallen asleep, everything went to hell.

Next thing I know, I'm running through the hidden village of Konoha, Kyuubi having transported me against my will. I ran and kept running until I was racing through what looked to be a deserted part of the forest, far from the Leaf. My body slowed, no longer controlled by me, and passed up a dead complex that made both me and my tenant shiver.

I want my body back, begging Kyuubi, but he ignores me and runs deeper into the creepiest forest I've ever seen until he stumbles upon a blackened tree with pictures cut all into the bark.

I want out of here. This felt wrong, my spine tingled unpleasantly and my stomach flipped wildly.

I tried forcing myself to step back, to run the other direction, but Kyuubi continued forward until he stood at what looked to be a well almost under the tree.

The water looked disgusting, black and murky, like someone had spilled oil or ink, then the aroma of cold, stale-smelling blood attacked my nose and I almost gagged, forcing air through my nose to push the scent out, making a funny hissing noise.

It was so pungent that I could feel it scorch down my throat and into my lungs.

To make things worse, Kyuubi knelt down, forcing my face closer to it as he inspected the area.

He ran my fingers over what seemed to be indents in the soggy mud on either side of the well, as if someone crawled out. Creepy...

I felt our eyes widen as they looked into the well, then I felt Kyuubi panic.

Our thoughts became linked and I became confused. He was expecting someone to be in there.

Who the hell swims around in a dirty well? Yuck.

Then, Kyuubi does something that makes me want to puke.

I can only watch helplessly as he slowly lowers my arm into the pit.

At first, and don't ask why, but I thought it was going to burn. Kyuubi seems calm as he dunks my arm into the sludge, obviously knowing that the gunk wouldn't harm me, but on the inside I continue wincing.

When my skin finally gets submerged, I look out of my body, completely confused. There was no acid or fire mixed into the water like I had for some reason expected, but I feel a tingly sensation wherever the oily substance touches me. The strong odor of death becomes enticing and sickeningly sweet.

I just wanted to bathe in it. Drink it. Pour it all over my skin. Slide into the well.

Then I realized how crazy it sounded. I hear Kyuubi's voice vibrate from my lips. "Fool."

I let his comment slide, watching in amazement as he pulls my arm out of the pit and the strange solution simply slides off, nothing left behind, despite it being black. Like water off of a duck's back, but more so, and a hell of a lot creepier. It was definitely demonic, and the fact that Kyuubi was frowning proved that not all was as it should be with this pond.

He lifts our body to stand and I take one last look at the attractive well. It was like hypno-juice. It wanted to pull me in and I would've been just fine with it.

I try to think more about it but Kyuubi has us running again, but faster, more desperately, and before I know it, he's teleported us back into the forest.

I run up into my house more shaken than the first time, giving Deidara a brief 'hi.' before slouching into my room and locking the door, now angry after having let the previous situation sink in.

_What. The fuck. Was that?_

**That was what an Uchiha will do to us at any given opportunity.**

I stopped.

Kyuubi was... trying to help me? Well, it obviously had a lot to do with him as well, but still! That little stunt was his way of giving me a heads up. He was showing me what we had to look out for.

My eyebrows furrow.

This is what must have happened all those years ago. Uchiha Madara took over Kyuubi's mind, controlling him and making him do things against his will, just like Kyuubi had just done to me.

Not gonna lie, it freaked me out a bit that Kyuubi could do that, given enough slack. He could have made me jump off a cliff or rampage Hokage mountain. It could have been much worse, and I knew this was only a small taste of what took Kurama that night sixteen years ago.

And according to Kurama, the entire attack, he had no idea he was there. As soon as the genjutsu was lifted, he said it was like waking from a coma.

Suddenly, the intruder in my house became a big deal.

I unconsciously paced back and forth in my room, trying to sort this out Naruto-style, which meant mumbling incoherently along with my thought process. I was the kid they were talking about when people say, '_Think before you speak!'_, because I'm the kind of person to say what's on my mind.

I personally think it's a good trait to have.

"...Demons... spying... Fucking hell... Deidara..."

"What about me, un?"

Just not all the time...

I yelp, tripping over my feet and landing on my face, right next to the drop of blood.

Deidara laughed. "I hear you talking to yourself in here, un, something on your mind?"

I knew he wasn't talking about my conversation with the Kyuubi, he thought I was still completely oblivious to my heritage, mom being from an immortal clan, Dad being an immortal without a clan like Sakura.

Deidara, only being my half-brother.

That means I must have been mumbling a bit too loud. Damn my genius thoughts! Sometimes they just spill out!

I glanced at the blood, finding an awesome excuse to distract him from what he may have heard me speaking about.

"Did you bleed in here?"

He gave me a funny look, "No, un." His weird euro-asian accent seeping through.

He probably forgot who he let in here, because no one could have just found it with all the seals. If he would have remembered, he would have lied and said yes. "Then someone has been in my room, because this wasn't here when I left."

He looked a bit stunned, so I gave him a vague 'out' that would hopefully lead me to who had been in my room.

"Aww, man! Did you have a boy-sex party while I was gone! And you let them in my room! This blood was probably some 's and m' shit! Dude, I swear if they had sex on my bed-"

He frantically waved his hands in front of him, shaking his head. "No, un! I didn't have- wait, what the hell is a boy-sex par-... never mind. I just had a couple of friends from work over."

I make my face mischievous-looking, "So Itachi was here~?" I tease.

He doesn't go red this time, so either he wasn't here, or they didn't have crazy sex. Deidara told me that Itachi was a friend from work, secretly meaning Akatsuki, but made sure I was unaware of the meaning behind his last name. Once again, I'm 'oblivious'.

But he _did _tell me why that work-friend in particular came over a lot. Heh heh, I guess even evil dudes like Itachi need to get some every now and then.

Deidara huffed, "Yes." He seemed upset. Even though half of our stories were sugar coated for the other's benefit, because like hell I told him about my ANBU shit, we still enjoyed talking about it together.

We're brothers, right?

I pout for him, patting a spot next to me on my bed for another bro-talk.

"So he didn't screw your brains out?" I got punched in the head.

"Who taught you to talk like that, un?"

"You did!" I struggled not to add 'ttebayo'. Even if Granny-Sennin says I got my speech pattern from my mom, I think it runs with my dad's genes too. How else did 'un' happen with Deidara?

Deidara shook his head at my antics, then looked down, thinking, giving me the responsibility of starting back our conversation. "So, did you guys fight?"

Deidara lifted his head, "Nah, un, but I think our stress-relieving sessions are done..." That's weird, now who's Itachi-san gonna take his kinky wrath out on?

As far as I knew, which is what Deidara's told me, everyone 'at work' either hates Itachi or is deathly afraid of him.

I ask, because I'm genuinely curious, "Why, what happened?"

I gave him time to think of ways to sugar-coat things into half lies. It was the nice thing to do in our situation.

"Well, Itachi brought another work-friend, that stupid one I told you about, which is a mood-killer in itself, un. I was okay with that, but then he brought his freaking little brother-"

"WHAT?"

Deidara stopped, giving me a sharp, suspicious glare.

I wasn't supposed to know Itachi killed his clan, I wasn't even suppose to know anything about Itachi, so my surprise wouldn't make sense, because that would suggest I know of his crimes.

I think of a cover-up, fast. "It's just weird, how you gonna bring your brother to your fuck-buddies house? Isn't that like, taboo?" He sighed, in relief or exasperation with me, I don't know.

"It gets worse, un, he brings some creepy dude over! Apparently it was his _other _friend, un."

I lift both of my eyebrows, who could it be? "You mean like best friends forever? Total bromance like me and Gaara?" I say, trying to figure out a history.

He looks at me with his visible eye, laughing quietly, "Unn, yeah, I guess."

I make a mad face, "Aww, what a douche. So, his friend is sticking around? Are they screwing, too?"

Suddenly Deidara's face soured, "No way, un! They're totally not, un, I just know."(2)

Ugh! This is impossible! I'll never figure out who it is! Come on, Deidara, tell me something useful!

Deidara continues, "They seem super close, un, so I bet Itachi just doesn't want Kurama to think of me as a wedge between them."

What. The. Fuck.

"Kurama? T-That's a weird name..." He nods, equally disturbed, but ignorant of my knowledge.

I continue, throwing that one in the brain-file for later, "I thought Itachi was only nice to you and that stupid dude, Key-sam-ay." He laughs at my butchered Japanese. Sometimes, I wanna cut the crap just so I can show him how smart I really am, that my stupidity is just an act. My Japanese is probably better than his!

He's still laughing.

It wasn't that funny...

I pout, and he continues, "Well, he tells me more, un, but sometimes he has to tell Kisame things so he can explain them, because I don't fully understand the culture of all the d-" He pauses and I sit still like I don't know what he was about to say, letting him continue, "-of all the Asian shit, un."

I fake a confused face, "But isn't Kisame from China?"

He rolls his eyes as if expecting me to know this shit. "Yes, un, but both he and Itachi are Japanese." AKA Japanese demons...

I nod dumbly, "Oh..."

"But neither me or Kisame were told of Kurama, ever. It was just weird, un. I figure he would have said _something _about his 'best friend' in the past, right?" I'm starting to think that 'best friend' actually means something else. If they aren't in _that kind _of relationship, then they had something else going on...

I nod to what Deidara is saying, but my mind is racing inside. If Itachi and Deidara stop screwing around, then I won't hear about the Akatsuki any more! I mean, sure, the information Deidara gives me is always bullshit, but there's that hint of truth in everything. None of the ANBU have any real information on the Akatsuki, and since we know so little about them and their goals and movements, the information I get is damn useful.

I didn't know what to think of Itachi's mysterious companion, but I could cash in on information with his brother.

"That is weird, since you guys are all bro's and junk. So they all just slept over? Did Itachi sleep in your bed?" I knew the answer to both of those questions, but I needed to lead him into answering the ones I didn't know.

He shook his head, "Nah, un. 'Tachi slept on the fold out with Kurama." Weird. " Kisame got the mattress, then that little asshole slept in here." Bingo.

Deidara continued, "Naruto, I just thought I'd let you know that I appreciate you as a person." I had to laugh a little. So being a douche was in the Uchiha blood? Because the way Deidara describes Itachi, the siblings must be clones.

I kinda wish I knew what they looked like. Deidara always made me leave when Itachi came over, but I suppose that's his secret-double-agent shit. Well, I guess he's a double agent... He works for Akatsuki, but hides me, so I'm sure he counts.

I fold my legs under me, bouncing the mattress a bit, "So he's like his brother?"

I just had to get him started.

He spoke with the crazy eye, getting worked up just by remembering the guy, "God, Naruto, he was such a fucking prick, un! He was _way _worse than Itachi, un!" Damn. "He was so rude! He didn't give a shit about anyone but himself, un. I'm so glad your my brother, by the way... And then-" He proceeded to tell me every mean thing that came out of the boy's mouth, which was pretty much the only words he spoke.

Damn, at least Itachi had manners.

I voice my thoughts, making Deidara laugh. "So true, un."

"So you let this ass-wipe sleep in my room? My bed has probably contracted some kind of Jerk-disease!" I frantically muss up the blankets to make my point.

He laughed more, "It's worse than you think, un! I walked in and he was sleepin' all over your favorite pillow, un! He even drooled a little!" Que Deidara's maniacal laughter and me pushing away my pillow... Damnit, Mr. cuddles, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you!

I bet Uchihas are gross looking. They all probably have big noses and super tiny eyes with crooked teeth.

I hear Kyuubi scoff in the back of my mind and mentally add another thing to the 'To think about later' file.

Deidara looked at the drop on the floor, "If he's anything like his brother then his libido is out of control, un, so he probably got a nose-bleed looking through your underwear drawer, un!" He laughed until I spoke.

"If he wanted the kinky shit, he was in the wrong underwear drawer. After all, your room is that way." I say, pointing down the hall way.

He scowled, "Shut your fucking mouth, un! I'll kick your little ass!"

He then stomped out of my room slamming my door.

Only to turn around and reopen it, sticking his angry face back inside, "And stay out of my kinky drawer, un!" before slamming it once more.

Honestly, how could you hate Deidara? I laugh a bit before sobering and looking out the window.

It's almost dark, meaning I had to meet my team in Konoha a few hours from now.

I began checking my room, talking to Kyuubi.

_I thought Itachi killed them all..._

**Kakashi was speaking to the female about Konoha's history. I recall hearing him speak of Itachi, as well as a survivor.**

_How come I never heard this?_

**Because you were raised in Iwa, and at the time, you were not interested in Konoha's history. Plus, I distinctly remember you thinking about something stupid at the time, so I was forced to pay attention for you. **

_Wow, I wonder who would be awesome enough to survive someone as strong as Itachi. Deidara says he's hideously powerful._

**I would take his word for it. If Itachi is powerful enough to take on the entire Uchiha clan and win, then...**

I paused in searching my room for clues.

_Then...What?_

… **Nothing important at this moment, kit. Things just aren't looking good for us right now.**

_If it's not important now, then that means it will be later, so you may as well tell me now, because if something happens to one of us, we both go down._

**It's just that, I can only think of one person that could train Itachi to be such a weapon.**

_But I thought he was in Konoha's ANBU..._

**You know nothing of Uchiha ways, kit. They are double-sided swords by nature, and there is always a hidden, dark little trick behind every action. If Itachi was in ANBU, then I'm almost positive that he had another sensei within the Uchiha.**

That took awhile to digest. They sure sounded arrogant, like ANBU training was too easy for the great Uchiha Itachi. Ha! That's probably what drove him crazy, all the damn training!

As if ANBU training isn't enough, then going home and doing more training with a private sensei!

Kyuubi spoke, hearing my thoughts, **Uchiha train themselves differently. If I'm correct, then Itachi's training was mainly focused on Sharingan, their demon clan's infamous bloodline limit. **

_What do you mean 'If I'm correct'? How do you know so much about Uchiha stuff?_

… **This is not the time...**

And then he refused to talk about it!

I shook my head, confused and annoyed, moving on to the next topic.

_So how do you think the blood got there?_

**He probably tried Sharingan, but with the Senju seals that is impossible. The blood is most likely from the boy's eyes.**

Ew, eye-ball blood...

The only thing that seemed different was the blood and the blankets...

I went to my closet to check the shrine, just in case.

The small memorial was untouched, but I was more worried about what lay underneath. I lift the shrine off of what looks to be a regular stand, but actually hides my ANBU gear. This seems untouched as well, so I leave it open since I have to change later anyways.

The only other things that were secret in my room were my father's kunai and my pictures.

I check the pictures first, but they all seem to be in place. Then I notice how one of the pictures I put in crooked lays perfect in the frame.

So Uchiha had a 'perfectionist' gene as well.

A 'nosy' one, too.

I scowl, he had seen my secret pictures...

Then, beginning to breathe heavily, I realize what that means. He knows my face. What else does he know? I run to my bathroom and tear open my sink cabinet.

All of my toilet paper is stacked. I always just threw it in the cabinet, just so I'd know if Deidara would find the kunai, but I had a feeling this wasn't Deidara.

Regardless, I run out of the bathroom and into the hall way, busting open Deidara's door. He throws himself into a standing fighting stance on instinct, eyes still closed. He must have stayed up all night last night, because its still fairly early to be sleeping. When he realizes it's me, he sits back down on his bed, yelling, "Don't fucking barge in here like that, un!"

I don't joke this time, "Do you need toilet paper?" ...Okay, it sounded like a joke, but I was serious!

I watch him blink his eyes more open. "Un?" I roll my eyes and stomp into his bathroom, finding that no, he was not in need of toilet paper, he had some under his own sink.

I march back out, "Did you go into my bathroom?"

"No, un. I didn't go into your fucking bathroom, so if that little punk pissed all over your toilet, it has nothing to do with me, un. Get the fuck out so I can sleep... un." and his head angrily dropped to his pillow.

I silently walked back into my room, into the bathroom. If the seals fuck with the Uchiha that badly, how did he get past my ultimate Namikaze seal?

I squat, lifting the false bottom and checking my favorite jutsu. Nothing seems to be touched, but if he could open the cabinet, then he would have no problem stealing my father's, and now my, Flying Thunder God kunai.

I replaced the false bottom and stood back up, thinking. Then I saw my comb on the sink.

I picked it up, "How'd that get there?" I usually kept it on my dresser drawers.

**The Uchiha. That's how he got in.**

_My comb?_

**Precisely. He's smart, he used something of your possession so he wouldn't have to touch the seal.**

...Damn.

That means he also knows of my seal specialty, as well as one of my prized techniques...

This changed things...

_What does this mean, Kurama?_

**I think we should be careful, hide ourselves. Something is already not where it's supposed to be and the Uchiha are having strange movement. We should be even more careful than advised by the sannin... He knows our face and secrets.**

I let out a shaky breath, nodding more to myself, before pulling on my ANBU uniform.

As soon as the mask is on my face and the hood is on my head, I lift my hand, index and middle finger sticking up, and disappear in a yellow flash.

**Itachi**

I finally find the psuedo-apartment in the faculty level of Dormatory B. On the _other side_ of the campus from the front office.

Ridiculous.

This school was obscenely large for no apparent reason, but leave it to Californians to go big or go home. I suppose they were trying to prepare the students for college life with the layout of the school, but they still managed to tweak every little detail to their liking.

The dorms were set up in the strangest way. There was one enormous building in the center of the campus divided into four: Maths and Sciences, Language Arts and History, Career and Elective classes, and Athletic classes. The building had a giant hole in the middle, dividing each section of the building as if drawing a cross into a square, leaving an oddly figured grass area in the middle.

There were five smaller buildings across the large, gated campus. There was of course the Administrator's building at the front of the campus that dealt with teachers, counseling, curriculum, et cetera, but there were also four dorm facilities on each corner of the square gated campus, each leading into designated buildings

Dorms A for Maths and Sciences, Dorms B for Language Arts and History and so on.

I was almost depressed about the fact that even though the four-story dormatories were arranged so that Men stayed on the lower two levels, I couldn't put it past 'April-san' to accidentally stumble upon my current living area.

I know Sensei encouraged her to irritate me, but if that was his revenge for this morning, then it was definitely unexpected. I figured he would bring on some kind of crazy, sadistic punishment, not annoy me to death.

I felt like I deserved more. I understand him being upset, but all I did was help him sleep. He looked tormented, and he had already said the seals were making him physically sick. When one is sick, they must sleep, correct?

Bam. Logic.

Perhaps it was the principal of what I did, the message he seemed to see behind it. Maybe he felt betrayed?

Well, after seeing him like that, I felt like shit.

But sicking 'April-san' on me was pretty cruel in it's own way.

I try to turn my head to glare at Madara for leading the woman on to me when my key fails to glide into the lock. I sigh and angrily jiggle it, extracting a dry, empty chuckle from my sensei.

"You're shoving that thing in a little rough, don't you think?" The only reason I blushed is because it was sensei, other wise, my scoff would have been solo. When I didn't reply, he continued.

"You know, boy, if you keep that up, you'll scare off April-san. She doesn't look to be the kinky type." I gave him a cold look, but it melted when I saw his face.

He was resting heavily against the wall, eyes drooping and exhausted. His venomous smirk was accompanied with lazy eyes and didn't have the same effect on me that it usually did.

I turned back to the lock, jiggling the key with renewed fervor, wanting to get Sensei a place to relax, when I felt his arms slide under mine from behind me, his soft, crazy hair tickling my ear and the side of my face as he leaned over my shoulder and his hands cover mine.

I watch, confused as he grasps a different key and flexes my fingers around it for me.

He turns his mouth to my ear, making me want to lean into him, "You have the wrong key, boy." and I felt those ears burn against his moist lips.

He easily unlocked the door before moving around me and slipping inside, leaving me in the hall way stunned at my incompetence in his presence.

I walk inside, wearily shaking my head at myself, and take a look at what the movers did with my furniture.

The apartment was already smaller than I was used to, so I was already uncomfortable, but I wasn't going to show it. Everything seemed to be in the right place, the couch against the back wall, the small television set that would seldom be watched directly across from it, the dining table and chairs in the kitchen area and so on and so forth.

Oh yeah, and my bed set up in the dead center of the living room.

What the hell.

I walk forward to the bed that Madara was currently laying on. I watched with a blank face as he stared into the mirror on the head board as if he had never seen himself before.

Well, at least not seen himself fully, because I imagine you feel that you look different when you are no longer translucent.

I sigh and pull a note off of the top of the head board, reading '_Couldn't maneuver the bed into bedroom. Good luck.'_

Awesome. Just what I need.

I sigh and lay down next to my sensei who simply turns on his side and watches me as I throw my arm over my eyes.

"What bothers you, boy?" He spoke softly, his deep, smooth voice vibrating through the room just barely.

I remained silent even when I felt the bed dip as he moved, but I almost jumped when I felt him tug at my sleeve. I remove my arm from over my eyes and give him a slightly confused look, to which he silently asks permission to touch me, fiddling with his fingers and giving me an odd stare.

I move closer to him, answering his gesture and thinking about his actions with a frown on my face. One would think that with being bonded with someone would make touching much less of a big deal. Just five minutes ago he was pressed against my back with his arms around me, but he still insisted on asking my permission just to initiate touch.

Honestly, mixed signals much?

As it were, I allowed him to pull my head into his lap, closing my eyes contentedly as his fingers glide along my face and neck with feather light touches. I don't fully understand the effects of the insignia on my neck, having decided that researching such a thing was pointless since Madara-sensei was forbidden to take physical form, making his body basically dead.

Now, as he accidentally runs his fingers over the mark, I regret not doing so. Other wise, I would probably have a better understanding of soft moan that escaped my throat as well as the overwhelming warmth that spread from said mark to the rest of my body.

I open my eyes, looking to sensei for explanation I suppose, but he had pulled his hands back as if burned, and not blushing, but the Uchiha equivalent.

Which means he was stone-faced.

But one look into his 'expressionless' eyes and I could tell he was thoroughly uncomfortable.

He nudged my head out of his lap and looked away, causing me to sit up and glare at him.

Sensei looked me dead in the face, not threatened in the least, "I apologize, that was unintentional."

Oh, well that doesn't sting.

"What exactly just happened, Madara-sama?" I like calling him that, though I am unsure as to why.

He looks to the side, thinking of how to explain, struggling inwardly with his wording, "It is similar to what I did to you in the car... though, that was intentional and much more... intense." It's almost funny to hear Sensei talk like that, and I smile softly despite myself as he continues.

"The...Ahem, seal on our necks binds us together in more ways than one; mentally, physically... emotionally..." His face scrunched up a bit, unhappy that he was having to explain this to me, since I was really only a child when this happened.

He continued awkwardly, "Through my mark-" He seemed to get this possessive look in his eyes that only an Uchiha could appreciate, his eyes glittering at what was his, "-we can communicate against our will, I suppose you could say. Touch can relay how the other person is feeling, what they are thinking, or how they want you to feel."

I knew about the last one, having experienced that in the car, but the other two I had not been aware of.

Then a thought occurred to me, "Then... what had you been thinking just now, Sensei?"

He seemed to freeze up a bit, answering at first with only silence. I felt Madara's eyes glare at me, seeing my eyebrow lift in challenge as I smirked at his awkwardness. No way he would back down from a challenge.

But then, he raised his own eyebrow, a famous Uchiha gesture that meant, 'Oh really? Challenge accepted.'.

"Your emotional weakness was disturbing my relaxation, as I sensed distress practically bleeding from your general being. I was unconsciously trying to comfort you with my own feelings, since you're such a child, because with your tense attitude suffocating me I could not rest, but since you are so inexperienced with such things, I assume my mark caused sensory overload to your body, thus making you moan like a whining female."

Emotional weakness? Inexperienced? Female?

Honestly, in that moment, in my head, I relived every fantasy I had ever had about bending my sensei over and fucking him numb, just to show him how much experience this weak female had.

Instead fulfilling such orgasm-inducing fantasies, I punched him in the face.

Any unresolved anger we felt toward one another was about to be settled right then and there.

This was something that Madara and I have practiced since I was his young student. The main reason we were put together is because no one else could deal with us, personality-wise or power-wise, but just because we were the only ones that could handle each other, that didn't mean we didn't piss each other off all the time.

I don't remember when this ritual first started, but it became my favorite hobbie quite fast. There was only hand to hand combat, and as a child, I rarely got the upper hand, but blowing off some steam still helped me get through the Uchiha times.

Plus, it was the only time Sensei didn't feel the need to ask my permission to touch me.

And he certainly didn't ask now, as he returned my punch with a right hook, a sinister grin on his lips.

He obviously enjoyed kicking my ass every now and then as well.

I fought down my own smile as we wrestled on my bed, soon slipping off into the floor, grunting and growling. It was all fun and games until I twisted his arms behind his back, kneeling behind him and pushing his head down, then he flipped out like a caged animal and rolled onto his back violently, kicking me hard in the stomach, making me fly off of him.

I don't know if it was because I had actually one-upped him or because the position reaked of sexual dominance, but he looked angry. But I wasn't exactly feeling too peachy either as I sit on all fours, gagging and trying to suck in the air that got knocked out of me.

I looked to my sensei, angry and confused, and saw his own expression. For some reason he looked suspicious and slightly protective of himself as if I were actually against him. I dismissed the underlying feelings and charged back to him, too quickly to catch without Sharingan, and we continued as if it never happened.

Later on in our fight, he had me pinned to the ground, straddling me and holding my hands at either side of me. Ignoring my struggles, he gave an open mouthed smirk past his bruised face and bloodied lip, superiority complex on high.

I was going to glare back, but my eyes followed a trail of blood from his lip past his pinkened teeth down the side of his chin and finally down his long pale neck as it run dangerously close to the kanji of weasel(3) burned onto his skin. Over time, it looked less like a burn or tattoo, but more like ink that was apart of his flesh, and when I ran my tongue up his pretty neck to collect the blood, I made sure to graze that mark, wanting to test what Madara told me previously.

And you can guess exactly what thoughts I was trying to convey to him, creepy bond telepathy or not.

I watched as he leaned into the touch at first, gasping, then groaned and arched away, giving me opportunity to overpower him again. I pushed forward, reversing our positions to where I lay between his legs, one hand grasping his wrists, one tangled in those messy locks.

"I'm not a little boy anymore, Sensei. Perhaps you will keep that in mind for the remainder of this battle?" But it seemed as if he wasn't focused on my taunts any longer.

I swallow the blood collected in my mouth and feel a warmth spread through me, making me feel slightly intoxicated as I watch Madara struggle out of my grasp.

His eyes fluttered and I yanked his head back by his hair, feeling slightly intoxicated and therefor brave. Madara's eyes fluttered, turning a strange translucent-red color as his throat vibrated with a deep, sensual purr.

It seemed Sensei had a kink. I smirked, making him wake out of his daze and realize that I had him by the hair, one hand holding his wrists as he writhed beneath me. He growled and twisted his body violently, throwing me on my back regardless of my hold on his wrists. He swung his leg over my hips, eyes screwed shut in pain due to the awkward positioning of his arms and the pull n his hair at our switch.

"Ngh... Itachi, let go..!" I freed his wrists, but tangled my fingers deeper into his hair to ensure that he didn't escape. This action gained a growl, and his strangely elongated nails clawed at my hand, trying to free his hair.

I jerked my arm down, bringing us face to face, our noses barely touching. I feel dizzy, as if I had lost all discretion, because if I were completely aware, I never would've thrust upward into Madara's unsuspecting hips.

Surprised eyes still gazing into mine widened, caught off-guard. He glared, catching my smirk before his eyes narrowed even more, as if he knew why I was behaving like this.

I'm glad _someone _knew, because I had no idea what made me feel this good

His knowing glare slowly morphed into a smirk, further arousing me in my strangely drunken state.

"This is not something you should challenge me in, boy," He paused licking his lips, "You'll lose."

Ha, we'll see about that.

And I did, because as soon as I started this little battle, Madara became intent on being the one to finish it.

I tugged his hair down more, forcing his forehead to the floor next to me so I could attack his neck with my mouth. Madara hummed in approval, then attacked right back, making me almost choke on my gasp. I never thought Sensei would do such a thing, but here he was, moving his hips in a fluid motion against my straining arousal.

Well, if I wasn't hard before, I sure as hell am now.

I gaped as Madara lifted himself to an upright position, smirking as he continued to practically dry-ride me, his hands rubbing at my chest.

He played the uke role far too well.

I was starting to think he was only doing it because he knew it would turn me on, but the way his hips jerked as he bit his lip and let his head lull back made it unmistakeable. Sensei enjoyed this.

Fuck yes, my life just got ten times better.

Our eyes met, both equally heated now. "Is that all you've got boy? I thought you were a little better than that..." Oh hell no.

I jerk up, pushing him on his back to flip our positions. Madara hisses as his back hits the floor hard, glaring at me. I lift my eyebrow, "Can't take a little pain?" and he grins, chuckling at me. I grind into him, making him remember our game and flip our positions once more, this time between _my _legs, making me glare.

Madara grabbed for my hips, pulling them to his and smirking dangerously at my slightly frightened gaze.

I had never truly thought about it, but I had always unconsciously assumed that Sensei was packin' heat. Now that said heat was hard-pressed against my ass, those suspicions can be confirmed.

And I think this discovery just made my cock twitch.

Madara flicked his eyebrows up briefly at me, then furrowed them down before grinding his intimidating manhood into me once more, sneering to reveal gritted teeth. I groan and watch as he runs his hands under my shirt, licking his lips as it lifted to reveal the product of years of physical training.

"Mmm..." He seemed pleased, and it turned me on to have him looking at me so hungrily. I can only lye back with my jaw slack as backs up and lowers his head to dip his tongue into my navel, and I unconsciously spread my legs wider as he drags that tongue up my abdomen, making both of us groan.

Madara's head continues upward, though his tongue has retreated back to his mouth, and we are suddenly nose to nose. He places his forehead against mine, his forearms on either side of my head to support his weight.

I feel like our eyes are locked, and I want to slam our mouths together so badly, but I'm not sure how he would appreciate my initiative. As if sensing my struggle, his eyes lid, and he slowly lifts himself, shaking his head in disappointment. "As I thought, inexperien-" but I don't let him finish.

I knock him on his back, once more trading places, and grab his hair to pull his head back and suck furiously at my mark. He arches into me, groaning loudly. By now both of us are sweating and I can feel it in his hair, also getting a salty taste when I drag my tongue from his collarbone to his ear where I twirl my tongue, delighting in the shiver I receive as well as the leg that is now hiked against my side, almost wrapping around me.

I lean back and grab the leg, pushing it up and grinding down into Sensei's ass hard and slow, making him gasp and fight. I ignore his struggle and go back to Madara's neck, earning growls and moans every time I got a little too rough.

This battle had long been transformed into something else, but that didn't mean the pain was over. It was far too sweet to end so simply. As I pulled, clawed and gripped at Sensei, he reciprocated, reveling in the sting.

Madara was turned on by our little fight, the bruise and blood, me tugging his locks, by the physical pain I was inflicting on him.

And I found the idea quite attractive my self.

I pressed into him, tugging his bed-head to expose his neck before placing my lips back on the kanji and speaking.

"Who's the moaning female now?" But he only hummed as I began sucking at the mark.

And I had thought this was going to be a bad day.

This is what I had wanted since I had met this man, but I never thought it would happen, even after being bonded.

Madara always seemed too domineering to ever writhe under me like this, allowing me between his legs, on top of him, pinning him as he panted beneath me.

I wasn't holding back any of my thoughts, even the explicit ones that involved his legs over my shoulders, but he didn't seem too bothered by them at all. I knew the mark was working against him, otherwise he wouldn't be so compliant, his eyes glazed over as they roll back each time my nails claw down his side or his messy hair is pulled a bit harder.

I still couldn't believe it. I practically worshiped this man. My sensei, the one I cared about most, the one I wanted most.

I couldn't describe it, I wanted to reach up and smash my mouth against his and never separate. I had never wanted to do such a thing when I slept with Deidara, but I suppose that showed how different this was.

But as I continued, I kept getting a strange feeling that Madara was no longer giving his undivided attention.

His struggles were half-assed, as if he were unsure of whether he should pull me away or continue letting me hurt and please him at the same time.

I released his neck and lifted my head to watch him, Sharingan spinning to catch every detail. His eyebrows were furrowed and his teeth were bared, his canines longer than normal. Madara began pushing away from me, glaring and snarling, as if having an inner battle. Before he could escape from under me, I grabbed for his hand, shuttering as I place it on my neck.

All I see is blood and flesh and Madara. There is suddenly an unquenchable desire to leave circular wounds on him with my mouth, to break skin, to hurt him. I feel sick, but in the best way. I vaguely hear Madara groan as I pin his shoulders to the floor, my mouth throbbing to be on him harder.

Well, if those thoughts are coming from him, then this is what he wants, yes?

I felt myself becoming more and more aroused at the thought. No problem, I'm completely down with your crazy version of rough sex.

But as soon as he felt my teeth bite a little too hard, he stopped trying to get me away and gasped.

That's what I thought, Sensei.

Then, without further warning, he jerked his arm back and squeezed his hand around my neck, distancing us as far as his arm could stretch before kicking me once more, but this time in the chest, for maximum air time.

I hit the floor hard, glad that we lived on the bottom level. I would hate to deal with complaining residents from a lower floor.

I sat up slowly, trying to open my eyes and my palm rubbing away the on-coming headache as I was finally able to glare at him, but what I saw was not what I expected.

Madara's hand rubbed at his face and neck as he tried to slow his breathing. He hissed as he exhaled from his mouth, only to inhale sharply through his nose and repeat. I watched as he positioned himself to sit indian-style, his elbows on his knees and his fingers intertwined behind his neck as his head hung low and his eyes were unfocused.

When they finally cleared, his glare was on me, eyes no longer glazed over with whatever that just was.

He seemed to have calmed his body completely, no longer panting or hard, but he seemed fueled with a new fire.

Well, not new, since this fire reminded me strongly of the one that blew up in Deidara's house earlier this morning, but a different fire none the less.

I could only stare as he stood and walked stiffly to the room he assumed to be his, slamming the door as hard as he possibly could.

Damn.

I remained in the same spot for a bit, trying to dissect what just happened.

Madara and I started our 'I kick your ass, you kick my ass and we both feel better after' fight, I began thinking with the wrong head, it turned into a 'Let's see how hard we can get before one of us cums' fight, I get bombarded with primal blood lust and start some _innocent_ nibblingand he flips shit.

I start going over what went wrong, where I made the wrong move, when it changed.

Perhaps he was angry with me trying to dominate him?

I do an invisible face-palm. What was I thinking? This is Uchiha Madara I'm talking about. The most powerful and feared demon that isn't bijuu!

Honestly, the fact that he isn't is probably more terrifying. He could have easily obliterated me the second I defied him. Though, the fact that he hadn't just killed me for that little stunt proves that I mean something to him.

And I just attempted to overpower him when we were just trying to blow off steam, have our brand of 'a little fun'. I probably just ruined the one thing that got him to feel free with me.

Fuck _me_...

I stood to knock on his door and try to fix my mistake, despite the blazing shame that decided to make its bright red way onto my cheeks, but the door opened before my knuckles could make contact with the wood.

I stood face to face with him, but not willing to look straight into his eyes. I wanted to speak, but the word 'sorry' would have been easily mispronounced. It simply wasn't apart of an Uchiha's vocabulary, it was a foreign word.

When Sensei said 'I apologize', he didn't actually mean 'sorry'. That was the easy way out of admitting you were wrong and you feel guilty about what you did. 'I apologize' simply means 'that should not have happened'. Not even 'I regret that', because that was far too demeaning and personal.

So you can imagine my struggle, trying to break free of the Uchiha chains, when the biggest chain link stood before me, unmoving as a wall. I didn't see Madara dropping the Uchiha ways anytime soon.

I continued to look away, but finally made myself open my mouth to say it. "Sensei, I-"

"I'm going out to get some air. I will return. Do not follow, boy." And then he just walked through me.

I stayed frozen where I stood, even as I heard the door open and slam.

Then, after around five minutes in the same spot, I followed. Like hell I was just going to sit and wait like a 'good boy'.

_I am no longer your charge, Sensei._

**(1): Your bisexualness, as in "Your Highness." just wanted to make sure everyone got that.**

**(2): Because Deidara is thinking, 'No way, they're both Uchiha, plus that's his sensei, they can't be screwing.' **

**(3): Itachi's name in english means 'weasel', an ill omen in Japan signifying bad luck or death.**

**Pekudi, Maximoffs_forever! 3 3**

**Maximoffs never fails to review! Much love!**

**And Thank You, Pekudi, for your awesome review!**

**So, I'll admit that I didn't go through this very thoroughly, but only because I had read and re-read everything parts at a time, so going through it once more as a whole seemed like way too much work. If anyone sees something wrong, I'm sure they'll tell me, because there are always faithful complainers, right? :D**

**Well, _I_ appreciate criticism. Not sure if everyone else does...**

**Oh well, Hope you like.**

**~SaLEm**


	9. Our Own Affections

**Hey there, Sorry update took so long(for me at least). I have been away from the computer, but I think I have a whole week of doing nothing, so I'll probably update 'Escaping a Dead End' soon. I usually don't unless I've been utterly inspired, but I have this notion that I'll just _feel _like it within the next week.**

**This chapter will probably be weird and perhaps fluffy at some points? I'm listening to 'Light lights up Light' and frankly, it's a sad piano song. It's mellow...**

**ANYWAYS.**

**Chapter Eight 'Recap': They make it to the school and they're signing in under aliases just in case, you know? Sasuke wonders off to meet his friends, they fanboy/girl over the Uchiha survivors, Madara and Itachi fight, which ends up as a 'Can you feel my dick through my pants?' kind of thing, then it starts driving Madara into a different kind of lust and they fight. Then they have a heart to heart, then they go to bed. Oh yeah, and Naruto's flippin' shit. :D**

**Chapter Nine~: Our Own Affections**

**Sasuke PoV**

We finally got out of that damn office.

I thought I was going to kill that idiotic woman, 'April-san'. She kept blabbering on about how 'Shisui' got moved into the B dorms a few floors below her.

I don't fucking care.

And I loved how Itachi just decided to switch his surname to 'Karasu'. Oh, let's just make up funny names for everybody, that's cool too, not like we're all S-class criminals currently on the run.

Frankly, I want nothing to do with the last name 'Crow', but apparently, Itachi doesn't think he's spooky enough. His name in English sounded like and Indian cowboy's name. I imagine Madara came up with it, though, judging by what I've seen of his odd sense of humor.

Luckily, Itachi registered all of us under different surnames, making it seem as though none of us are related by name, so I wasn't stuck with Karasu.

Unluckily, _my _registeredsurname is Hebi. My stay with Orochimaru was being thoroughly mocked, and I could almost imagine Madara and my brother snickering behind their hands as they wrote down all of the false information.

Fuck you Itachi.

The fact that he switched his first name to Shisui is a bit weird, though. It would make sense if we were wandering around a Hidden village, but this was L.A., California. Who's going to know about Uchiha Itachi?

Well, I suppose if the Akatsuki is here then other allegiances would be here as well, and not many outside of the clan knew about Shisui, so it should be a good alias. I'm sure any ANBU would piss their pants if they got word of 'Uchiha Itachi' teaching at a school full of demon and human teenagers.

So 'Karasu Shisui' is a fine name for a teacher.

But if any one of us was trying to make this into a joke, it was Madara, who chose the surname 'Kurosawa'. Black swamp.

Oh yes, very funny.

The fact that we all had different surnames seemed kind of stupid to me considering how similar we all look to each other, but I suppose it is mostly to deter being tracked by anyone from the hidden world rather than to deceive teachers and students into believing we had no affiliation to one another. After all, we had checked in together.

Fortunately, I hadn't had to make up a given name, as 'Sasuke' was common in Japan and I wasn't _quite _as infamous as my relatives since 'The only Uchiha survivor' was swept under the rug in most Hidden Villages, and young demons of my generation had not been old enough to be in the loop around the time of the Uchiha massacre..

I was stilla _bit _disappointed that I had yet to make a name for myself like my relatives had...

"Sasuke! What're you thinking about, man?" I'm jarred out of my depressive musings by Suigetsu and his obnoxious voice.

I scowl, "I'm thinking about how much I regret making you tag along." He only shakes his head.

"Psht, You would go crazy without me here to bug you, Sasu-kins."

Karin smacks him, "Don't call Sasuke that!" Thank you, Karin.

Then I hear Juugo, "Sasuke, isn't that Itachi's sensei?" All three of us look up to find Madara walking straight at us.

When I see him closer up, I notice the evidence of a hand-to-hand fight, and when I see the angry scowl, I can only assume that Itachi has pissed him off yet again. He continues to walk toward us, licking blood from his lips and teeth in a tired way.

Karin speaks, slightly worried, "What do we do?"

What the hell else? Does she expect us to hide when he's about thirty feet away?

I'm almost tempted to say "Act natural!" or "Quick! Scatter!" in a hushed tone to make fun of her. Instead, I make a show of walking toward him as we all had been, and they reluctantly follow. I expect him to act like I don't exist, but he stops and speaks to us, making my company go stiff.

"Sasuke," He looks at me with angry eyes, one swollen a bit from what I imagine to be a deadly punch to the temple, courtesy of Itachi. "Your brother has your papers in his possession, 117 Dorms B." He pauses and eyes Karin before he walks past us, not even waiting for my reply.

I shake my head and sigh as I hear the red-headed female free the breath she had been holding.

"Damn, he looks like shit. He must have made Itachi pretty mad." Suigetsu says in a carefree tone.

I raise an eyebrow, almost laughing internally. It was probably true, but I've heard plenty of stories from Madara about their battles, and I'm sure Itachi is worse off.

"Holy shit!" Karin whispers harshly.

Ah, speak of the devil.

I look back up and watch as Itachi snakes around, looking for Madara. He spots us and comes our way, making my group tense up even more.

It's funny how they were more freaked out about Itachi than Madara, but I'm sure it's because they were unaware that they had been in said ancient demon's presence. As they say, ignorance is bliss.

I realize now why Karin had seemed so surprised in her exclamation, though. Itachi really _was _worse off, by quite a bit. His normally tame hair was all over the place, his mouth, as well as the many scratches on his body, was bloody and there was a nasty bruise forming on the left side of his jaw.

And that was just the parts we could see.

I had never seen Itachi fight hand-to-hand, and I had certainly never seen him fight someone better than him. This was worst than when he fought Madara at the Uchiha manor.

Watching Itachi walk up and speak to us was like an instant replay of what Madara had done. It was obvious that the latter had rubbed off on the former, also proving that they spent a large quantity of time together while Itachi was growing up.

I inwardly shake my head to tune back into reality as Itachi stops in front of me.

"Sasuke," He even spoke like Madara sometimes, "Have you seen Kurama?" I raise my eyebrow, looking him up and down. It seemed to me as if he had got enough of his ass kicked, and with Madara's attitude, starting another fight would probably leave craters in Itachi as well as the Campus.

Itachi seemed to have read my face, scowling. "Which way did he go?" I sigh, pointing my thumb behind me, and instead of walking around us, he decides to walk through us, bumping into those in his way, making Karin squeak.

Asshole.

When he's out of earshot, Suigetsu laughs. "Daaaaamn, I would have _killed_ to see that fight!"

"You would kill on a whim."

"Shut the fuck up, Karin, it's an expression."

I ignore them and continue walking down the cement path towards the dorms. Itachi probably left my papers in his dorm in favor of chasing his sensei.

My group follows as I waltz into Dorms B, only to be intercepted by a hall moniter.

"Excuse me, sir, this is the faculty level, and I'm going to have to see your papers, because you don't look like a teacher to me." Are you fucking kidding me?

"This is the first of four floors. You see, my friend here," I point to Suigetsu, who is actually staying in Dorms D. "-is staying in the student floor of Dorms B on the second floor. I'm not sure if you realize this, but to get to the second floor, we have to get passed the first floor."

I'm sure I've succeeded in making him feel retarded when his face reddens and his cheeks puff out in a childish way. "Then... Then I need _his _papers!" He didn't want to do this the easy way.

"Of course sir, right here..." I say, activating Sharingan.

Suigetsu and Karina laugh while Juugo and I share a smirk as we walk down the teacher's hall, leaving the monitor stunned and frozen in place.

And Itachi thought I was fit for the human world.

Honestly, the hidden world was so much simpler, just because of the fact that humans made things difficult for no reason, while people of demon or immortal lineage kept it simple. Humans liked complicated rules and steps, making everything a slow, painstaking process. Why can't they just function like demons?

I get my answer as I open the door to suite 117.

If humans were like demons, this whole world would be blown to shit.

We all glance around the living area, catching spots of blood, torn parts of someone's shirt, and claw-marks on the floor.

I sigh and walk to the bed, where the papers are scattered all over and the mattress lay slightly lopsided, completely destroyed.

It takes about a full two minutes before I can actually find the papers that are mine.

"Its seems I am also in dorms B. Juugo, go get your room switched to room 239, you will be my room mate."

Juugo nods before backing out of the room, leaving.

Suigetsu huffs, "Oh, okay, let's just leave Suigetsu with some random human while everyone else sticks together. No big deal." Karin growls at him.

"Whatever Suigetsu, I have to stay in an entirely different dormitory! I'm not even in Dorms B! At least you're on the same floor as Sasuke and Juugo!"

Suigetsu gapes, "Karin, you're in the fucking C dorms for electives and shit. That's like, the best place to be. Your 'dorm room' is basically a fucking house." Karin scoffs.

"Yeah, but I have _three _other room-mates while you guys have one! It will be just as cramped!"

I growl as their argument grows in volume.

"Shut the fuck up." Ah, sweet silence.

They continue to glare at each other before Suigetsu laughs.

"Ha, Karin, you're stepping in Uchiha blood."

She jumps up, shreiking and pulling her shoe off.

"Aw, man! Seriously?" Suigetsu only laughs louder.

"Damn, Uchihas are fucking crazy."

I glare, already tired of both of them. They're just so damn loud. I look at the room, taking in the damage. It didn't look like Itachi's room had at all. There was no severe destruction, and the way the blood was in puddles suggested that it did not come from a moving target, but rather a still one, as if the owner of the blood simply let himself get wounded.

It seemed as if this battle hadn't gone as planned.

"Let's go."

We all walk out, but as I close the door, I look around the room one last time with narrowed eyes.

Something isn't right around here.

I'm gonna find out what it is.

**Madara**

Shit.

What the hell was that?

I shake my head, leaning against the side of a building to sort my thoughts away from prying eyes, away from Itachi. I couldn't stay in that room when I could feel him just outside the door.

It seems that this bond is pushing us together.

No, it couldn't be the bond entirely, but something was different.

It had been one of our regular meaningless scuffles, scrapes and bruises here, a broken knuckle or two there, little things. Everything had been fine, but then, I felt his tongue run up my neck, and _Kami _it was good.

Everything would've been fine and under control, but then the little bastard had to pull my hair...

And that was the point of no return.

Damn him.

I almost felt like he had planned the whole thing, starting the fight to get my blood pumping, but there was no way that Itachi could have known how to excite me. Frankly, _I _hadn't even known it would excite me, because fighting with Itachi had never deviated from hand-to-hand combat.

I suppose it could be because he was still a child when I got my body back, and by the time he was an adolescent, it had already long been taken away again. Besides, as an adolescent, Itachi had clan assassination and protecting Sasuke in mind, not hormones.

Now that Itachi was an adult, the bond would scream to be finalized.

It was a scary thought for some reason.

Naturally, I was more sensitive to the bond mark, because it appealed to both my Uchiha blood and my secret blood. I was also very inbred, my mother and father being sibling, so my blood is much more pure than his. This made me even more vulnerable to the effects of the bond.

But I could also control it better.

My mind flashes back to Itachi when he started to bite. I sure hadn't controlled it then...

The fact that Itachi had tasted my blood probably fueled the fire... But that didn't stop me from suddenly wanting to taste him back.

Itachi was already feeling it, then; the desire to taste, to hurt, to please.

I'd be lying if I said that I weren't. At least I saw it coming, I could only imagine Itachi's surprise at the sudden lust for blood. I myself am somewhat amazed at how intense the feeling is, to fully brand Itachi as mine, to have him brand me. It excited me to the core to think of Itachi pulling my head back and sinking his teeth in, right as he impaled me with his-.

I shiver, blocking thoughts out.

That couldn't happen. Itachi couldn't have the vulnerabilities that the bond brought on. Or the vulnerabilities that my blood brought, either, because as soon as it happened, Itachi would be like me, always craving, needing.

With his acquaintances using Senju seals, Itachi would be that much weaker. I'm not entirely aware of what this 'Akatsuki' is, but it sounded pretty serious and I didn't want any weakness in my charge if he was in such a risky situation.

And if we were bonded, I wouldn't be able to live through his death...

Perhaps that was what got me, the fact that we would be linked so entirely. Itachi would know of all of my scars and Kami knows that Itachi is covered in scars of his own. Finalizing the bond would only bring us more pain...

I couldn't give the boy my pain. Just the thought of him catching a glimpse of it this morning frightened me. This thought only distresses me more. I'm suddenly back to fretting over whether or not he had seen my nightmare. The betrayed feeling I got when I thought of the fact that he could have been responsible for the change, it made my chest feel heavy, unsure.

Sinking into a shallow sorrow, I almost miss the approach of his presence behind me. My body tenses, and I realize that after the incident at that Deidara's house, I don't trust Itachi quite as much.

I force myself to keep my back to him as he nears, not wanting to show my discomfort, but I almost turn despite myself when he just stands there, silent.

He hesitates, something strange for him, awkward sexual tension or not. I turn, finally, wanting to see his face, but I regret it immediately. Itachi stood foot away, face pointed toward the ground, waiting to be addressed.

I speak first, "Since when do you not follow orders, boy?" I smirk when he scowls, relaxing slightly at the bit of normalcy.

He doesn't meet my eyes. "Madara-sama..." I feel pulled to him, feeling the need to be closer, but I resist, putting up my front. "You didn't answer my question, boy."

Itachi suddenly lifts his head to glare, "You are not in charge of my actions, Madara." I feel my own glare at the lack of respect, but he continues before I can react. "I'm not a child..." Itachi looks down again, but this time I can't resist and I step closer.

"You seem to have grown quite rebellious in my absence, boy. First this morning, and now this?" I see him wince, but my bitterness has yet to evaporate.

Itachi sighs and lifts his head, jumping slightly at the lack of distance between us. I would have moved, but it felt good to be so close to him, so I remained still as he spoke, his breath fanning over my face and his eyes darting about my features. "About this morning... I'm sorry-" He pauses at the narrowing of my eyes, but continues, rambling slightly, "I knew you hadn't slept and you looked ill, so I put you under a sleep genjutsu... I didn't think that- I didn't intend-." But I stop him.

"You didn't use Tsukuyomi." It was more of a statement to my self, but Itachi's lips parted in surprise, his eyes proving his innocence. "No. No, I didn't. I noticed you were having a nightmare and I instinctively went to-, the bond, but..." He struggled a bit, never one for long sentences when talking about personal matters so I lift my hand to silence him, understanding what had happened.

So he hadn't seen, it had been an accident... I felt the tenseness leave my body, relief flowing through the now-relaxed muscles as I sigh.

"And about earlier, when I..." Itachi's eyes meet mine, searching, "Sensei, I'm... Sorr-"

"Stop saying that, boy, it shows weakness." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"It is not weakness, it is regret, and I have plenty. I should not have tried to dabble in something I had little experience with and I am sorry it brought you pain." I glare harder and his eyebrows furrow.

"The clan is gone, I don't understand why you insist upon living by old ways." I step forward, making him back away slightly.

"I _am _old ways, boy! I've lived through centuries upon centuries of those ways, this very bond is 'old ways'. You contradict yourself, boy!" I feel my breath come out in angry huffs, but it doesn't stop Itachi.

"What are you talking about?"

I almost throw my hands up in frustration, "You go on about how you are no longer a child, how I'm not superior to you, yet come with apologies about being on equal footing with me in battle, like you are below me." I grab his chin when he looks away, forcing his gaze to meet mine.

"If anyone is lost in old ways, it is you, Itachi. You are far to used to putting someone's comfort in place of yours. Do what _you _want to do, boy, not what that _Konoha _wants, not with just Sasuke in mind" I spit the village's name like poison, and he looks ready to argue but my voice over-rides his.

"In this bond, you are my equal. I want your respect, but only as such equal. I do not want your blind worship." I stroke his chin with my thumb, then his bottom lip. "If you are unsure, I am unsure. That's how this works, boy. We are connected. Do you understand?" Itachi's breath comes out shaky as he slowly nods.

We stay like that for awhile, staring at each other. I suppose I should have had this talk with him long ago, but at the time, sweet revenge had been top priority, and he seemed too young to know all of that.

My eyes widened ever so slightly when I felt Itachi's fingers run up my arm. I give him a questioning glance, my eyebrow quirked a bit.

He meets my gaze evenly, "I wanted to touch you, so I did." And I smirk, glad that he took my words to heart.

I'm about to commend him, but he suddenly leans forward, not stopping until he's a mere centimeter away from my lips, our noses brushing.

In all honesty, any sexual escapades I'd had before Itachi's time had been extremely impersonal and usually angry, so something as intimately pleasant as a kiss had never even crossed my mind. It would change things. It would bring the tender feelings I had for Itachi to the surface.

And in that moment, I panicked.

This wasn't lust. This wasn't even the bond. I knew there was a certain fondness that I had always had for the boy, but it was always forced down, not thought on. This closeness, it brought feelings that I thought had died with my brother.

But these feelings were different, and this was Itachi. As I gaze into his calculating eyes I feel my throat constrict. He knows that this is not of the bond, he knew before I did.

My muscles tensed once more and he felt it. I couldn't blame this on the mark, on an influence. He began to back away but it was too slow for me, and I jerked backwards to get distance.

Stupid child.

I didn't want Itachi to become this, to become my heart.

I look up to see Itachi glaring at the ground. In some ways, I felt that he would forever be the little boy who gripped my hand as we walked through the forest, the little boy who cried silently.

But he gripped only my hand, never reaching for anyone elses, so did that make this okay?

I call to him, "Itachi," and he lifts his head. "Follow..." And I turn my back, walking toward our stay.

This can't happen, right? I can't let the boy hold my very heart in his hand. Foolish brat...

I wait to hear his footsteps behind me in three... two...

Ah, good boy.

I can feel my self glaring at nothing, but I couldn't help it. Perhaps I was glaring at the situation itself?

No matter.

Fuck what I said. If _this _is what he wanted then he was going to have to fight me for it.

**Itachi**

Sensei was confusing out of me.

Oh, _Do what you want. _

Bull shit.

I had been looking after _everyone else's _ass my entire life. Sasuke. Konoha. Madara. The Uchiha.

Never mine.

Then, as soon as I go for it, Sensei freaks out. So, _Do what I want, _but not if it involves you?

What the hell.

I was so close too...

That's okay, though. It didn't feel right, too quiet, too sentimental to be _our _kiss. As a young child, sweet things were something I dreamed about. I remember once wishing that I could cry on que, just so Madara-sensei could float over to me and run a gloved hand through my hair.

Comfort. I suppose I craved comfort, then, but I'm far too old, now.

If I truly want Madara enough, then there will be other opportunities, other kisses that belonged to _us_, not to sappy character's from a human's romance novel.

I watch as his hips sway as he saunters confidently through the campus, no longer full of students like it had been.

If he didn't really mean what he said, then why did he say it?

_We are equals..._

If we are equals, then why can't we-... Gah!

Sensei is the only fucking person that could confuse _me _of all people. It was like playing a strategy game with only half the pieces. It felt like he knew things I didn't, and it drove me insane. His words hint at something else, and he wants me to guess, but he won't come out with it.

What does he mean? I feel like his words went deeper, as if he were speaking in code. I couldn't take them for face value. I want to dig into his mind for real, lock us in a Sharingan connection so I could sense every feeling that much more, so I could see how his beautiful mind works. I wanted to seal our bond, to take him to bed and make everything complete.

This is why I never brought Sensei back. I suppose part of me secretly knew that this would happen to me, that I would want all of him. I had feared that Madara would take over my mind, body and soul.

He had.

When we reach our suite, we begin cleaning in silence, Madara transporting the remnants of my bed to my bedroom and throwing out the chair that had been crushed by one of us after a body-slam.

That's okay. We only needed three.

Speaking of that, "Sensei, where is Sasuke?" I ignore the way he tenses at the sound of my voice.

"He already has all of his registration papers. I'm sure he is in his own dorm." I looked to the ground. That worried me...

We hadn't actually gone over this, truly.

I wish I had sat him down, talked to him and had a real conversation with him like I'd planned. I wanted us to be brothers, I wanted him to talk to me and follow me around like he had as a little kid.

It was a little late for that, but I still wanted to be his older brother.

"There is plenty of time for that, boy." I glance up, seeing Madara smirking at me. I wonder briefly if I had spoken aloud, but scratch the idea. Sensei probably just read my face.

He seemed proud of himself for it too, if his teasing grin was anything to go by. Cheeky bastard.

I silently made my way behind him, bringing us nose to nose when he turned around. His eyes dart from my mouth to my eyes, his own eyes terribly wide. Well-well, Sensei, you can't seem to make up your mind.

I smirk, then give a chuckle, literally laughing in his face.

Madara was full of complete bullshit. He may act like he had it all together, but I could now see that he was falling apart as fast as I was right now.

I make my way to the bedroom doors, contemplating my next move, then turning to Sensei before walking into his room.

Hmm, we need linens. Damn, I hate shopping...

I can feel Madara watching me stare at the bare mattress and I'm almost tempted to dance provocatively in the doorway, just to see what he would do. I had never really done such a thing, but if it drove Sensei mad then I was just fine with the awkwardness.

I smirk at my thoughts, inwardly shaking my head at myself before laying on the new mattress, pining for a nice and plush comforter.

Madara raised an angry eyebrow, "That's my bed your crawling into, boy."

I remove my shirt and pants, wiggling out of the uncomfortable clothing as best I could while laying down, leaving my self in boxers as I look up to meet his gaze. "And it was _my _money that bought it, as well as _my _bed that we literally destroyed. I'm glad we've stated the obvious." And I have to suppress my smirk as I watch his eye twitch with the effort it took for him to refrain from looking up and down my exposed body.

He wants it.

So he will push me away, but stare longingly from afar as if I hadn't just offered myself up on a silver platter? I inwardly scoff, what's wrong with him?

If Sensei wanted to play hard to get, then he better prepare himself, because he had no what he was getting into.

I close my eyes, wanting to sleep so I could start my 'Do what _I_ want' project first thing in the morning.

You can guess at what I want. I want Madara. I have always wanted Madara.

I fall asleep with a smirk on my face, vaguely remembering Sensei crawling in bed _much _later.

Hn.

Let the games begin.

**Naruto**

Gaara, Sakura and I walk several feet ahead of the rest of the ANBU, all of us silent and somber.

Neji and Hinata look down, sensing the the dark, depressive aura around us. Kiba tries to lighten the mood, telling Tenten and Lee a funny story about something Shino had done, but I knew the Inuzuka smelled my tears.

My tears for Gaara...

The lot of us had been on guard, called down to the 'Silent forest' to check up on something. It had been freaking everyone out, that part of the forest having been forbidden for years. I remember Kiba rambling out possibilities as to why it was called 'The Silent Forest', Neji glaring at him, knowing the actual answer because of his lineage connections.

I was beginning to panic, recognizing this part of the forest, coming to realize that I might know why as well. At the time I had been glad to hear Sandaime's voice crackle over my headset, ordering us to transport to Suna.

Now, I regret the very feeling.

I would have faced the creepy demon-pond ten times if it meant I could have saved Gaara this heart-ache.

When we made it to Gaara's ex-village, the place was unrecognizable.

Apparently, that Orochimaru bastard was throwing a snake fit, deciding to do some damage to any nearby villages. According to local ANBU, his apprentice had fled, and he hadn't been all that happy about it.

Temari had been in the human world, while Kankurou had been in Suna, visiting their father, the subject of his and Gaara's last argument. He had been badly injured and was in critical condition.

Gaara's father, the leader of his ex-village, had been murdered.

Gaara didn't know what to think.

He remained silent, ignoring the stares Sakura and I were giving him. I know he could feel them. His ANBU mask had nothing to do with his lack of response to our gazes. I know because I felt stares like that too.

Man, with all the water works I was pulling, the other ANBU were going to think _I _was the superior from Suna.

They knew we were all of different villages, I from Iwa, Gaara from Suna, Sakura technically from Konoha. I wonder how they would feel about their Fourth Hokage's son crying over the son of the Fourth Kazekage's son? We weren't exactly allied, because Gaara's father is an asshole, but it was still Gaara, and I'm a compassionate guy so you can't blame me.

There were so many lives lost, too. Fucking Orochimaru, he's the only reason we had to get involved, since he's kind of our problem. Other wise, Gaara wouldn't have had to see Kankurou get carried away in a make-shift stretcher, beaten and broken. He most certainly would not have had to see the corpse of the man who had tried to murder his own son too many times to count.

I sighed, wishing Gaara, Sakura and I were alone. I wanted to unmask my chakra and let the good feelings flow into him, I hated seeing my friends like this, so distant and hurt.

When we get back to Konoha, I turn to the other ANBU. "You are to report to Sandaime Hokage-sama immediately. You are dismissed." I'm sure The Geezer will understand our absence.

I hand my team-mates each one transportation kunai before flashing out of Konoha and into the human world, too lazy to walk to the designated checkpoint for such travel.

When we flash into my room, I'm the one to break the silence. "...You guys can sleep here for tonight, I'll lock my door so you'll have time to hide if Deidara comes knocking." I tried to make it sound casual, but I know there will be no sleeping. Gaara is too emotionally rattled for the one-tails to let him and Sakura and I won't be able to sleep knowing our friend is hurting.

Sakura removes her mask, "I'm gonna leave a text on Neil's phone, so he won't worry."

I try to lighten the mood, "Haha, you mean his 'Jitter bug'?" But the smile I get is a weak one.

"Naruto," Gaara finally speaks, "it is not right to make fun of the elderly."

I glance at him, "I'm not, I was just saying." I frown. Gaara probably thinks I offended our female friend.

With Sakura being human-turned-immortal, she will remain forever seventeen, but her younger brother, Niel has continued to age. He was now in his late eighties, but only because of Sakura's medical work.

I suddenly fear that I have indeed offended Sakura, making the situation worse. Gaara's father dying could have brought up the thought of her little brother doing the same.

I always stick my foot in my mouth, but this time, I felt particularly terrible.

With Deidara being so spontaneous, him deciding to become 'fleeting art' terrified me to the core. The Akatsuki is the most dangerous threat to the hidden and unhidden world, and he dove into it head-first, just to watch my back in secret. It pissed me off and made me smile at the same time. Deidara has _always _been there, if in his own secret little way. Him just slipping away like the after effects of one of his explosions made my emotional walls crack a bit.

Fuck. Now we're all sad.

I watch as Gaara sits on my bed, removing his mask but not looking at anyone. Removing my own mask, I sigh, pulling his head to my chest and holding Gaara to me. Sakura turned back to us, sitting behind Gaara to wrap her arms around his waist and lay her head on his back in a comforting embrace.

Gaara remained silent, opting to grip Sakura's hand on his stomach instead, nuzzling his head into me a bit to show his gratitude. He had never really cared for his father, since Gaara was still a homicidal maniac when they lived in the same village, before Gaara and his siblings relocated to the human world.

Iruka had found Gaara the same way he found me: confused and hurting. I had never known about being the Kyuubi's vessel, never understood Deidara's hesitance in letting people near me when we lived in Iwa. I had believed Deidara's lies, about what and where Iwa was, about our parents, everything.

When Iruka told me, I was mad at Konoha, but I had no idea why. Perhaps it was because I didn't want to be mad at myself or Deidara for all of the lies, but I fought Iruka all the way to Konoha, my father's village.

For about four years Iruka and I went to and from Konoha in secret, training me with the Sannin that trained my father. There, I met Sakura and Granny, but I had still been a secretly bitter brat of a child. That's when Gaara came along. He had been silent and brooding, but I could tell he was confused. He stood as far away from Iruka and everyone else as humanly possible, which was difficult in _my _oppinion because Iruka is a sweet guy, so I had no clue how he did it.

But I understood after seeing his eyes. They were dead, glazed over with stone. When Iruka took us both to the side and told me that we were the same, I vowed never to pity myself ever again. We were the same, but we were not. I had a loving brother who protected my heart, I had Iruka, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Sandaime all looking out for me, so much to be thankful for when Gaara was alone, isolated even by his own family who feared him. I had all of these people who loved me and cared for my well-being, while Gaara had no one, and had to watch his own back.

That day, I decided Gaara would have me.

When we became a team, I made a vow to him.

_Gaara, as my team-mate, comrade, and personal friend, I will always protect you, be there for you, and look out for you._

So tonight, as Sakura and I lay us all down, holding Gaara as he soak in his thoughts, I keep my vow.

Now if only Gaara could protect me.

**Itachi again, because he's a favorite. ;D**

I don't know what time it was, since we were lacking more than just linens but an alarm clock as well, but I know I stayed in bed for a good hour.

I hadn't thought about California nights being so cold, but without any clothing or sheets of any kind, the air quickly chilled my bare skin, but that's not why I woke up, though it would have been.

I woke up because something beneath me had moved.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was black. I blinked my heavy lids in drowsy confusion, soon recognizing the the blackness as cloth. Madara's shirt.

I came to realize that it was his arm that woke me up, probably moving to rid itself of the numbness from my head lying on it. There was a pleasant heat radiating from Sensei, who had taken to becoming my blanket at some point during the night.

I raised my sleepy eyebrow as I take in our somewhat foreign position. We both lay on our side, face each other, my head on Madara's bicep as his forearm loosely snakes around the nape of my neck, lazily holding my head to Sensei's muscular, but sadly clothed, chest while his other arm was thrown over my only free one.

Said free arm was resting on the thigh of the leg that was currently hiked up and hooked around my hip. Oh yeah.

Fortunately, Sensei had tangled his other leg in between mine, hindering me from grinding my morning wood between his legs. I don't think waking up to that would help him get over our latest squabble.

So, not wanting to ruin a chance to touch Madara, I remained in my spot for a bit, rather comfortable.

I enjoyed listening to him breath softly but deeply, watching his chest move, wishing he wore less clothes. I can't understand how he does it, sleeping in the same jeans and turtle-neck that he had this entire time. The turtle-neck alone would drive me insane.

Hell, I would appreciate it if he at _least _wore a t-shirt, then I wouldn't have to fight a collar to taste his skin.

Hmm, that sounded kinda kinky...

After awhile, I find myself unable to resist exploring our position, despite my previous thoughts. The hand that was once immobile on Sensei's leg began lightly caressing, resisting the urge to squeeze at the flesh and muscle beneath the dark denim. I feel the muscles in Sensei's arm twitch, then he inhales deep through his nose, making me freeze.

I tilt my head back slowly and slightly to glance at his face. It had tilted down and his brows furrow slightly at my sudden stillness and I fear that I have woken him. His lips part and his lashes flutter as if his eyes are about to angrily open and glare at me. Instead of opening, his lids clench making his face twitch and he licks his parted lips before relaxing once more, his face falling calm and still.

He had just tweaked our position in a way that left me having to crane my neck back to avoid waking him. We now lay with our forehead almost touching, me having to look slightly up at him. Damn, that was going to give me an awful neck cramp, but it was worth it.

Now, as my stealthy right hand crept up his side, I could watch his reactions. Slowly, my hand slipped under the thick fabric of Madara's turtle-neck, pulling the hem up a bit to finally allow my left hand, that had been previously pinned between us, the chance to feel as well. My right hand ventured over Madara's hip, eliciting a long sigh as I ran my fingers over the expanse of his back with a feather-light touch.

I felt the faint scars that my eyes had always traced as a child, wondering if they were why Madara seemed so against showing skin now that he was back. Perhaps he knew I wanted him to, and was hiding himself just to annoy me... Bastard.

I narrowed my eyes in my musings, but got no reply from my sleeping Sensei, so my hands continued to feel. I felt the muscles of his stomach, wishing I could press and grope. Still, even with such light touches, I could tell that Madara felt thin.

I frown.

I usually ignore hunger unless it's convenient, but most demons do. I haven't thought about how my relatives view the eating ritual. I keep forgetting that I no longer live alone...

Hmm, I imagine being practically comatose for seventeen years can leave you a bit malnourished.

Damn, another thing to shop for; food.

My hands stilled, feeling Sensei shift and arch forward slightly into my touch, his brow twitching. It seemed Madara liked my hands on him.

The thought was turning me on.

The hand on his abs stayed still while my right hand traveled lower on his back, gliding over his ass and stopping to grip the bottom of his upper thigh. I really wanted to pull him down on me so our hips were better aligned, but that would wake him for sure, especially with the current tenting of my boxers.

Still, a little groping never hurt anyone, right? As long as I didn't get too carried away.

...Who am I kidding, I _wanted _to get carried away.

With that, I continue the absent minded groping that I had unconsciously begun, careful not to grip Sensei's thigh too hard. Then, against my will of course, my hand started traveling up and I was soon rubbing Sensei's firm ass, thinking about the fight it would start if he woke up mid-grope.

Strangely enough, there was no snapping awake, no growls or violence at all. Madara's eyebrows lifted just slightly, and his hips rolled a bit before his face unconsciously nuzzled in between the crook of his arm and my jaw, making our cheeks rub together as he let a deep purr vibrate from his now-closed lips.

I smirked, continuing to grab hand-fulls of Sensei, delighting in the occasional pants that escaped his tempting mouth.

Ha, Sensei liked getting felt up.

It made me wonder if he'd let me do this if he were awa-

"Nnn, 'Tachi..."

I stopped, retracting my hand immediately, fearing the worst.

After my mind recovered from the tidal waves of fear, it became obvious that Sensei was in fact, moaning my name, not waking up.

I smirked, about to resume my earlier explorations, but dim rays of sun began to glimmer through the window above Madara's bed. With all of the will power in my body being used in that one moment, I slowly untangled us, figuring that he would wake up with in minutes of light entering his previously dark room.

But he didn't.

I suppose it was because a mere few days after Sasuke was born, he became that strange phantom-sensei, never requiring something like sleep to fuel his body (because he no longer had one) that seeing him like this fascinated me so.

I frowned, noticing how deep his slumber was. One would assume that being so comatose would have left him well beyond rested, most likely healthy looking, but he seemed so off lately, so ill and tired, as if his body were desperately trying to recuperate from a sickness or battle.

Considering Uchiha rarely got sick and he has not had a truly devastating battle in over seventeen years, his exhaustion was extremely unsettling.

I laid there watching him, playing with his hair, testing to see just how deep his sleep was. Finally, when I decided that an hour of wasted daylight was enough, I actually put effort into rousing him. We had things to do today, and like hell I was leaving him here while I went to do the work.

I nudged his shoulder a bit, "Sensei," No response. "Madara-sama," I only received a low grumble, his face twitching as if he were unsure of whether or not he was dreaming.

I sigh, beginning to get frustrated. I shove his shoulder harder, making him flip onto his back, "Sensei."

"What, boy?" He growled, making me smirk at how strangely cute it was to see him cranky.

He was facing away from me, his eyes closed, but I could tell he was glaring behind his lids by how furrowed his brows were. I speak, unable to control the smile that had taken my lips, "Wake up, Sensei. We have stuff to do today. You and Sasuke are involved." Madara rolled his head over and slowly opened his eyes to stare at me, still unhappy.

He sneered, "I don't feel like it, boy. What is so important to you that you had to wake me?" Important to me?

"So if it is important to me, you will do it?" His eyes widened at his mistake and I fought to keep a poker face.

He sneered harder, eyes narrowing, "Don't be so full of yourself, boy. I merely asked why you decided I must accompany you on this errand." Don't try and save yourself by bullshitting your way out of this one, Sensei, I know you care.

I couldn't help it when the corner of my mouth turned up. Madara saw it, then glared at me, trying to discourage the notion that I mattered to him.

A pleased sigh escapes my lips before I can answer. "Well, I must say sleeping on a bare mattress was not very pleasant considering the cool night weather." I'll leave out the part where you held me. "And we also need other things, like food and living requirements, Sasuke needs supplies, we as teachers need supplies, I haven' heard you speak one _word _of English, so you probably need a book on that..." I was going to continue rambling but I was interrupted.

"Why must _I _go." He had that angry pout again, the one that could be easily mistaken for a glare if you weren't me.

I stare at him, "Because we are currently sleeping in _your _room. I was courteous enough to consider the fact that perhaps you would want to pick out some of your belongings, as well as everything that would go into this room. You're welcome." And I get up, noting how he was too drowsy to even attempt not to stare at my exposed body.

What I didn't notice was him coming up behind me, turning me and cornering me against the door when I had turned to walk away. I swallowed a bit as his hungry gaze looked me up and down, drinking in every detail about my body. Madara placed the tips of his fingers at my throat, making me lift my chin, then lightly ran them over me, gliding over every muscle, stopping around my hips where his arms could no longer stretch without him bending down.

He brought his heated gaze up to mine, a dull, almost translucent red bleeding in towards the dark pit in the center of both of his seductive eyes. "... You've grown so well, Itachi..." And the eyes smile at me, the lips taking no such movement, before he walks away, making me shudder as I stand by myself in the corner.

How does he just _do _that? Say and do something like that, and then just walk away as if he hadn't just blown my mind. I felt like my skull was a bucket of marbles that he had just picked up and shook until he was sure everything was completely mixed up. Sadistic bastard.

But then what he had said registered. Sensei had basically just checked me out, not only with his eyes, and then liked what he saw. He didn't even tag 'boy' to the end of it! He'd said 'Itachi'.

Perhaps I would not be playing alone in this game of seduction...

I looked into the living area where he was now sitting on the couch, staring at the television despite it being turned off.

I smile, moving in front of the screen to turn it on and grab the remote sitting on top. When I throw it to him, he scowls, having not been looking at the television at all and not expecting the remote.

"I'm going to get dressed, you can entertain yourself for now." He gave me a look but complied as I walked into the room to change.

When I walked back in fully clothed, he was intently listening to the news, eyes narrowed in focus. I looked towards the set, trying to see what he was so interested in.

"...saying that the building and the one resident in the bottom floor had been bombed, destroying the two buildings on either side of the initial target. Police are still investigating..." I raise a brow.

What could have Sensei so interested in this? I look over to him to catch a slightly confused glare.

He looked at me, "What is that woman talking about, boy?" So we're commanding me again?

I sigh and move to stand closer to the couch, "She's talking about an investigation on a bombing. It looks to be Deidara's handy work, but I don't see him bombing the unhidden." His lack of English speaking skills only fueled my further belief that he had to accompany me on my 'shopping trip'.

Madara looked up at me, "Why not? He seems like a loose cannon," I smirked.

"It's just not done. If we wanted to take over the humans, we would just do it. No attacks or petty bombs would be required. It was probably a bomb that Deidara sold to a human for extra cash. Besides, in Akatsuki, we're all loose cannons." Though, the only problem we would have would probably be Konoha's ANBU, as they were the most developed and international village corps.

I relay these thoughts to Sensei, but he addresses a different matter. "What is 'Akatsuki'?"

I tense ever so slightly, barely catching myself before it's blatantly obvious. It seemed as though Madara had a way of pulling things out of me that would normally be kept secret. I loved and hated that about him.

"... It's the work I told you about. It is similar to Konoha's ANBU when I was apart of that, only Akatsuki is rogue." He was silent, mulling it over before looking to me, trying to meet my eyes, but I kept my head turned to the television as if telling him wasn't a big deal.

He didn't like me ignoring him, much. Madara stood and lifted my chin so our gazes finally clashed. His eyes were once again their natural dark silvery-gray, still seemingly see-through. I stared into them, frightened at how they could mezmorize me without even having Sharingan activated.

Sensei spoke quietly for some reason, as if speaking too loudly would alert someone, "What is their purpouse?" I wanted to tell him everything I knew about everyone. I wanted to tell him about our ties, our members, our goals, our plans, my alternate plans for Sasuke's sake, everything in between.

But I knew I couldn't. As soon as he caught wind of the Kyuubi being a main factor he would stick his claws straight into the Akatsuki. If that happened, I don't know what I would do... It would be like taking separate parts of my life and smashing them together. If Akatsuki had Madara, there would be no hope for the hidden, and perhaps the unhidden, world.

I would have to choose between my loyalty to Sasuke's well being and my loyalty to Madara in general. The only reason I joined Akatsuki was to make sure I could keep tabs on Sasuke from afar. After I learned the rogue's intentions, I had to stay to protect the world as secretly as I could. Now, with Sasuke here, it was about my loyalty to the world, to my family's past village ally, to myself... and Akatsuki.

Believe it or not, I would have trouble choosing if Madara became the Akatsuki. It was just how in over my head I was, how in deep I was with Sensei.

And now, he was staring at me, expecting an answer.

I steadied my voice, "Their purpose is not of my concern. I joined to watch over Sasuke in secr-"

"You're lying to me now, boy?" He was good at pretending to be hurt, just like when I was young. I swallowed, unable to stand looking into those eyes. Madara was using the empathy of our bond against me and we both knew it, but there was nothing I could do to stop him.

So I defend with logic, "Tell me then, Sensei, what are your truths?" He back-hands me, but not hard enough for it to be serious. My cheek tastes the assault; he's testing me. I narrow my eyes, giving him a taste of his own medicine and smacking him much harder than he smacked me.

The blow took his balance and he half-stumbled, leaning on the arm of the couch that had been behind him.

I tensed, waiting for him to lash out and begin an angry spar, but instead he faced me, smiling slightly, and for some reason, I smiled too. The air around us changed, suddenly feeling like gravity wasn't quite as heavy. It felt weird, as if we had gotten something off of our chests, but we hadn't said a word about anything. We just, felt better. We felt good.

Was this our kiss? Was this our love? This sick, therapeutic mutual abuse? Part of me disagreed, because if it were, then my tender and gentle feelings would have been absent, right? Then maybe, this was just apart of us. I wanted to hit him, hurt him, but I also wanted to hold him and really kiss him.

It was so much like the high I felt when lapped the blood from his neck, but much less carnal. Was that what that was? Was I high? Did Sensei do that to me? It seemed like his blood made me physically so, and his gaze made me emotionally so, making me feel as if I were floating above reality.

Nothing made sense, but it didn't matter to me because Sensei's eyes understood. Sensei always understood.

I didn't realize it, and I'm not sure he did either, but we had somehow moved closer to each other, our eyelashes reaching out to caress one another since the distance was almost non-existant. I was literally lost in his eyes, so much so that the need to press our lips together had smothered itself under his gaze. It felt good. Everything felt good.

"Umm... If you guys are done having your glaring contest, I would like to inform you that I'm in need of certain necessities." When had Sasuke opened the door?

Slowly, unwillingly, we separated, not breaking eye contact until the last second.

What had just happened?

I blink, wanting to clear my head but needing the feeling to stay. "Come with us to get supplies, Sasuke. We all need them." My voice felt foreign, almost floaty and tired. I ignored his look, waiting for my important people to follow me.

I place my hand on my neck, thinking to him, reaching out if you will.

_Sensei..._

_**I know, boy...**_

**Madara**

As we sat in the car on our way to some modern market, there was a silence. It wasn't like the last car ride, this silence was comfortable, soothing. As if I were basking in Itachi's presence. In reality, I probably was.

I had hit Itachi to see if he would do something about it. He deserved to, as he hadn't truly done anything to deserve such a punishment. I had expected him to verbally abuse me, something he fancied doing when angry, but instead he reciprocated, back handing me harder to show that I was in the wrong and he was not afraid to say so.

It felt so different. I had assumed I would feel proud of him, perhaps feel aroused that he was standing his ground in challenge against me, but it felt like much more. We had just communicated in a way that belonged solely to us. I felt light, as if I had told my darkest secret. Strangely, the feeling held itself in the atmosphere, drawing us closer together as we hypnotized one another.

We shared that look, that connection that told you: 'I'm bonded to the right person.' and you believed it because it felt true. I'm not sure if Itachi understood, but I did. I was somewhat scared.

_Sensei... _So was Itachi.

I replied, letting him know that he was not alone. _**I know, boy...**_

The car jolted to a stop, Itachi stepping out to free Sasuke from his prison in the back seat. I get out too, careful to not phase any part of myself through. We walked in and a gust of cold conditioned struck me by surprise, preparing me for what I was about to see. It was the weirdest market _I _had ever seen. In the Uchiha district, there had been individual shops for each type of item, but this place had many of those things thrown together.

I quickly followed behind my bond-mate, sticking close enough to feel his body heat radiate from his back. He spoke to Sasuke, "Otouto, could you do a favor for me?" Sasuke gave a nod, making Itachi smile. He really loved that boy. "I need you to get us clothes. You know your own size, and you're wearing my clothes so you know mine. I'll need dress shirts, preferably black, as well as semi-casual shirts. Black slacks, black denim. Prices are irrelevant. 'Kurama' will want comfortable but modest clothing. Do your best?"

"Hn," and Sasuke was off.

We began walking, Itachi grabbing random foods, meats, vegetables. My stomach churned. I couldn't eat that, even if I craved it. Honestly, the demon in aisle seven looked much more appetizing if I could choose.

But then again, If I could choose then Itachi would be on a silver platter, covered in the blood that flowed through his veins and-

"Ah-" I had been walking too close, stepping on his heel and tripping into him.

He looked back at me with his eyebrow raised, bu he wasn't upset. "Sensei? Any reason for attaching yourself to my hip?" Itachi was teasing me. I thought he wanted me at his hip...

I decide to be honest, "I don't understand the words around this strange place, and I do not want to wander around here." He smirked, translating it into 'I don't wanna be lost and confused...'.

Damn you, Itachi.

The smirk drops and he smiles, pleased with my honesty. "I'll finish here, then we will get living supplies. After this store, when I take Sasuke to get school supplies, we will buy you an English dictionary. You can copy that with Sharingan." Hmm, what an efficient way to learn a language.

Itachi, my genius.

I resume following him like a lost puppy as he walks on. We get to the linens and I watch as he picks two different bed sets, each for a King size. "Your bed is broken..." I say. I enjoyed the new feeling I had with Itachi. I felt calm, in control of my desires for the moment. Plus, I must say I enjoyed having him stay in my bed like he had when he was a child, his body fitting mine better now.

He simply gives me a look before grabbing a full size set for Sasuke, walking away and ignoring my statement. I can tell he's thinking, probably figuring out my thought process. I stay silent, but start as he speaks, revealing his own thoughts. "I got two because I remember you sleeping with many comforters when we first became bonded. I also got the just in case you did not want me sleeping so close."

Itachi seemed fine on the outside, but I knew that he was rather insecure about things like affection and emotion. He walked lightly upon eggshells, making sure not to say anything to offend me. I wait, not wanting to answer his silent question with a straightforward answer. A sigh escapes my lips and I walk forward, grabbing a soft and plush throw blanket and place it in the basket as well. I continue to walk past him, gently placing my hand on his shoulder blade, mumbling a soft 'Thank you, boy,' before continuing forward.

It's true that I enjoyed sleeping with many covers, hence the extra throw blanket I tossed into the basket, but I could tell that Itachi was just using it to ask: Are we okay? Do you mind being around me?

No, boy, I don't mind.

But that's what was getting to me.

Last night I had been valiantly fighting this, but just earlier today something had happened. All of the sudden the fight was leaving me slowly. There was some kind of connection that went beyond even _my _understanding of the bond.

We kept moving, picking up things that were apparently a necessity to humans, Itachi silently looking around, I silently looking at Itachi. It was true that he had grown into a very sexually attractive man, but it went beyond making people lust after him. Itachi still had the same beauty that he had as a child, the gorgeous eyes, the flawlessly smooth hair, just the way his features fit together. Itachi had always been beautiful, even beyond Uchiha standards, and those were extremely high.

In fact, there were still memories of him in my head from so many years back, images of him talking, crying, making a certain face. Things that were normal, but for some reason remained in my brain, simply because Itachi had made them beautiful. He made nothing else matter.

Did he know that?

"Sensei?" My eyes had already been focused on his face when he called to me, but that didn't mean I was aware of that fact. I stare into his eyes, acknowledging him, telling him I heard him.

He looks at me for a while longer before speaking, "I found a book on english grammar. Please read it as we walk." I once again look at him, and he turns after handing the obscenely large textbook to me.

Activating my Sharingan, I lazily and inattentively flip the many pages, copying the knowledge into my head without having to put forth any effort. It was almost done absentmindedly, and I would have believed it to be so if it weren't for the fact that we had finished our spree without my knowledge, me being distracted by the book.

I deactivate Sharingan, leaving the book on the nearest shelf, then looking around. Sasuke had joined us at one point, most likely long ago or shortly after I received the book. The clothes hanging from the basket were mostly dark, the occasional white garb that I assumed was for Sasuke, because I sure as hell wasn't wearing white.

I move my attention from the clothing to my descendants.

They looked comfortable around each other, just not like they use to be. That could be blamed on age, but I could tell it bothered Itachi none the less, if his longing gaze toward his brother's back was anything to go by. I moved forward, placing an arm around either of their shoulders, pulling us all closer together.

Sasuke didn't seem to understand what was going on, looking to Itachi for help. The latter simply stared at me before smiling in appreciation and wrapping an arm around my waist before giving a comfortable squeeze.

I released them, watching as Sasuke moved closer to Itachi as the latter explained that I was 'spontaneous' at times. Either way, my plan worked as Sasuke stuck closer to his brother, almost fearing physical contact from me. Sasuke seemed like the type to question people's motives, so he remained a bit wary of me as we payed for everything and checked out of the store.

We were on our way to our new home when Itachi turned for yet another store, making Sasuke sigh.

We got out to follow but suddenly Sasuke stopped.

"Hell no."

Itachi gave him a side glance as we all stopped outside the store. I of course just watched, because I was unaware of the significance of this particular store and had no idea what was going on or why it mattered.

"Sasuke, it's just for show. Every human, especially students and employed humans have these."

"I don't want, nor do I need a cell phone. It's just a means of communication with them..."

Itachi rolled his eyes, "Sasuke, I'm even getting Madara one." I raised my brow at the whispered mention of my name. Honestly, we're outside a store in the human world, who's going to recognize my name?

Sasuke looked at Itachi incredulously, "What? Why? He'll be lucky if he can even figure out how to turn it on!" What?

"Excuse me? I am Uchiha Madara, I'm sure I could easily figure out whatever a cellphone is," I see Itachi try to smother a snort behind his hand and I glare at him.

"Look, we're getting them. Get over it, otouto." And he walked inside.

Sasuke growled but followed, I doing the same...

Only to back away and outside of the store.

What the fuck was in there? I have seen a computer before, but this place was covered in it's parts. That's at least what it looked like. There were screens of various sizes, buttons and flashing lights _everywhere_ and it was hurting my sensitive eyes. I saw Sasuke scoff at me, opening the glass door and pulling me back inside by the sleeve.

I quickly reattached myself to Itachi. This place was even more abstract than that giant market place.

As a non-physical being, I only wandered to where Sasuke and Itachi were, mostly Sasuke because facing Itachi had become troublesome over time, and he moved around too much to keep up with.

Plus I could only stray so far from things that were not Uchiha, and I spent most of my time gazing into the silent forest around where the Clan was massacred.

Since I had such little exploration under my belt, these advancements caught me by surprise. I had spent my time in the human world after I killed Senju, not wanting to be apart of the hidden world after that, but apparently, that had been a very long time ago.

Who knew the humans could change so much in a few decades?

I practically held onto Itachi's shirt as he got 'cell phones' for us, deciding plans and features or whatever. If it bothered him he didn't say anything, but the look we I was getting from Sasuke clearly stated that _he _was bothered.

Suddenly, Itachi moved away from the desk, a bag with three 'iPhones' in hand. I followed quickly, uncomfortable with the thought of being stuck in that place alone. When we got back into the car, the bag was given to Sasuke.

"Program them, otouto." Sasuke glared, mumbling a sarcastic 'yes sir' before digging the phones out and handling them. I watched for a bit from my spot in the front seat with my Sharingan going, trying to learn about how they operate in case I actually _did _need to use them.

After awhile, they bored me and I moved my attention to Itachi. I kept watching Itachi from the corner of my eye, making a game out of him trying to catch my gaze, when we pulled back into the campus.

I could already feel my body's exhaustion. For some reason, my blood concoction doesn't seem to be working as well as it use to, back when I was on 'body probation' after they stuck Itachi and I together. Sure, Mikoto was a direct descendant of mine, but that didn't mean my self-medication was fool-proof. The one vile had not been a sufficient amount on it's own, but perhaps it would have been better not to mix it.

No, that would have been worse. The small amount would have only teased that side of me, arousing it and making it uncontrollable.

I needed to sleep, to let my body recuperate without using Mikoto's blood as a source of energy.

From here on out Sharingan wasn't a very wise thing to use...

I lean on the car, watching as Itachi loaded Sasuke's arms with his personal belongings, sending the boy off to his dorm.

"Sensei," I looked up, barely finding the energy to do so. "Could you assist me?" I reluctantly nodded.

Luckily, I only held a few things, opening doors and making sure Itachi didn't run into someone. It seemed that the other teachers were also getting situated in their somewhat-apartments, as I discovered some new, more mature looking faces wandering the halls. We receive a few odd looks, but I brushed them off, occasionally glaring to do so.

Humans these days, never keeping their eyes to themselves...

When we made it to our room, I dropped everything I was carrying in the middle of the floor. Itachi glared but didn't say anything. He walked the extra twelve or so feet to place everything on the dining room table. I nodded to him and turned to go to my room to sleep.

"Where are you going, Madara-sama?" I told him, rather lazily. He narrowed his eyes, silently asking why.

"Because I feel like it, boy. Don't question me right now." I was getting angry, perhaps cranky, but I felt ready to collapse. Something isn't right...

Itachi sighed, "Let me put sheets on it first," and he pushed past me with one of the bed sets.

I followed, leaning on the door frame to remain standing. As soon as he got the sheets on, I crawled into the bed.

"Sensei, I still need to get the pillows, get up." I growled, taking the comforter from him and wrapping it around my slightly shaking body. Perhaps I mixed the concoction wrong, because these were symptoms of my starvation, the weakness, the exhaustion, the shaking.

I needed to feed or hibernate, now.

Itachi placed he case around a pillow before placing it on the bed, but paused when he saw me.

"Sensei..."

"Now isn't the time, boy. I need rest." I just felt it instinctively, the need to be unconscious as my body worked to help itself. I think Itachi did as well, because he stopped talking and ever so slowly and carefully climbed into bed with me.

He moved close to me and pulled me slightly against him and I was too tired to argue. It felt good to be held, I suppose. Itachi was warm, and the way his hands would caress me was extremely soothing, despite being slightly uncomfortable.

It reminded me of the one time Itachi had gotten sick when he was young. He had gotten sun fever after being outside too long, his skin bright red and hot, but he shivered and had a cold sweat.

I placed a cold rage over his face, not wanting him to see as I basically drooled on him, using the only natural healing element I had. I smirked at the memory, wondering what he would have done if I had told him what the tingling salve was. Frankly, he was lucky I hadn't just ran my tongue all over him, because although that would have been effective, it would have been extremely awkward.

I hear his voice break through my thoughts, as if knowing they were about him. "What's so funny, Sensei?" He must have felt my smirk.

"Nothing, boy..." No, I probably wouldn't tell him that funny story for awhile...

Besides, we were two different kinds of sick, and sadly, Itachi running his tongue up and down my body wouldn't help anything. It would sure be nice though...

I started as he pulled the blanket over himself as well, then pulling me even closer to him. His warmth felt so nice and I moved so that our bodies pressed against each other, reveling in the contact. He sighed and I placed my lips against his collar bone, humming as I buried my face into the crook of his neck.

I could get used to falling asleep like this.

**Naruto**

When I woke up this morning, Deidara was singing his theme song at the top of his lungs:

Dude Looks Like a Lady, by Aerosmith.

He usually sings obnoxiously loud while he's doing chores, so he's probably cooking me breakfast.

I smile, turning to Gaara as he lay awake next to me on my bed. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, smirking a bit.

"How long have you been awake?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

He snorts at me, "Ha, funny, Uzumaki."

I grin, glad that he seemed to be doing better. "My real question, how long has my brother been screaming his theme song?" This got a chuckle. Yay.

It made me feel good that I could make even grumpy emo insomniacs laugh.

He allowed one of his small Gaara-smiles. "For a good half-hour now. Sakura and I should probably go. She's taking me shopping for 'school'." Now its my turn to snort.

"Yeah right! She just wants to dress you up... Make you hot stuff!" He smirks, and a mischievous grin spreads across my face. "You know, Neji attends the school we're scouting, and since he's not on the job, you can't really get in trouble if you wanna go after him..." Gaara glares at me by the end of my sentence.

"But I am still technically-" I interrupt excitedly.

"Ah, but you are under cover! That's the beauty of these kinds of missions! So perhaps secret ANBU captain Sabaku no Gaara can't fool around with a team-mate, but Gaara the normal high school student can screw around all he wants!"

He glares, turning his head to stare at the ceiling.

"... Perhaps." Ha! Gaara's gonna get laid!

Usually, when one of us was horny, the other was a helping hand. ...Or a helping penis, but that's not the point! We had only ever really messed around with each other, and the only time I had strayed from my buddy had been a big mistake.

That crazy stranger still wanders around Konoha shouting the Alias I had gave her...

Yet another reason to never remove my mask in the hidden world... Women seemed a lot less appealing after that, though I would still screw Sakura if she gave me the chance.

'It would be too weird, you guys are my friends!' Ha! Me and Gaara slept with each other and we were just fine!

Okay, we were drunk on most of these occasions, and it usually _was _weird when we woke up, but we were still bros!

But now that's not a big deal, since Gaara has him some man-candy.

I kept my grin, waiting for it to become as contagious as always. I laughed when Gaara began to cheese, "Shut up, Uzumaki," but he smiled none the less.

He gave a soft sigh, turning his head to the side where Sakura lay curled up in a ball.

"Sakura, wake up," but she only whined in response. Gaara nudged her, making her squirm but eventually get up.

"What!" And both of mine and Gaara's hands cover her mouth in an instant, eyes widening and listening for Deidara's singing. Sakura remembers where she is, finally.

We remained frozen, finally sighing when we realized that Deidara's silence was due to an instrumental on the song he was singing, because he was back to screaming the chorus.

As soon as it's safe, I whisper-yell, "What the fuck, Sakura? I'm supposed to be sleeping peacefully alone in my room!" She merely gives me that 'oops.' smile, shrugging her shoulders cutely.

Gaara shakes his head, "We should go if you want to get clothes." She tiredly nods, all of us getting out of bed.

"I'll take you guys to Sakura's house," And I received a slightly frightened glance from Sakura.

I narrow my eyes, "What?" But she just looks to Gaara, watching him smirk.

She directs her eyes back to me, "Uh, well, it's kind of weird doing the Flying Thunder God with you... I mean, I _knew _your dad, so it gives me the heebie-jeebies..." By the amused smirk on Gaara's face, I could tell this was something she kept from me, but told Gaara.

"So? It's really not that big a deal, Sakura. How else do you plan to get home?" And I could see her nervously glance at Gaara.

Oh, I see. She was afraid to offend me. She had probably told this to Gaara after I had fallen asleep.

I roll my eyes, "Sakura, it's no big deal, I understand if you feel uncomfortable, but..." I look to Gaara, giving a smile of my own as we make an amused eye-contact. "...Gaara can only transport him_self _via sand. My shunshin is a technique, his is something that belongs solely to him." I chuckled at her expense as she frantically looked to Gaara.

When he nodded she slumped.

"Meet you at your place, bubblegum-head." And with that, Gaara faded into sand, disappearing.

I knew the Flying Thunder God tended to make people nauseous, but honestly, no need to be over-dramatic.

With a grin I grabbed her arm and stuck two fingers of my hand up, flashing and dropping her off at her house, only staying long enough to enjoy her creeped our shiver before I reappeared into my room.

"Heh heh heh..." I remove all of the mission underclothes from the night before, storing them out of site. As I open my door, Deidara's voice blares into my ears, no longer muffled. I grin, yelling along with him as I dance into the kitchen, all Uchiha-related betrayal from last night being put aside.

He waves the spatula around, just finishing breakfast. Deidara's crazy grin is just as contagious as mine, and I can't help stop the laugh that escapes my throat mid-line.

I snort as Deidara rolls his body seductively to the line '_Do me, do me, do me all night!' _winking at me.

"Jeez, Dei, do you have this song on repeat?"

"Hell yeah, un!"

He grins, grabbing the remote and turning off the speakers before sitting down at the table with me.

"Do wonder our neighbors hate us, un." I smile, only able to hum in agreement while shoveling syrupy french toast into my mouth.

I clear my throat, "You haven't made any francy food in a long time. I miss it." He refused to teach me french back in Iwa, afraid that I would hear people talking about 'hidden topics'. After we moved from Iwa, he only ever spoke English, shutting away any thoughts of my isolation within that small cottage for the first seven years of my life.

He looked somber, "I just felt like it, un. Just enjoy it." The lady that took care of me was prohibited (by Deidara) from ever speaking french around me, but she made sure I at least had the food, and Deidara knew my favorite breakfast was french toast.

It meant a lot, knowing he had made it for me.

We moved away from touchy subjects and began everyday conversation, which for us was anything but 'everyday', especially at the breakfast table.

"So, you gonna go after that Suh-sorry guy?" He laughed at my purposely butchered Japanese.

One of these days, Deidara. One of these days...

"Un, I don't know if that would be a good idea-" I loudly interrupt.

"WHAT? You've wanted to fuck that guy for years! Even if you guys _don't _screw each other the first chance you get, you can at least try to get closer to him!"

"Naru-"

"NOPE! I've had to listen to you for years whining about 'Oh, we both love art, UN!' and 'Oh, our personalities mesh so well, UNNN!' and all that mushy shit about how compatible you guys are! I've never seen you so gay for someone, which says a lot, because you're pretty fucking gay!" I breathe heavily, my eyes wide as my chest heaves.

Yeah, I was serious business. Sasori may be one of the most dangerous Sand people of all time, but if my older brother was crushing on the guy, I was gonna make sure he got laid!

Said older brother gaped at me before glaring to the side, mumbling 'I don't whine...' before muttering things out of my hearing range.

I slouch back down into my chair, "You should just go after it. You only live once, right?" I avoided the phrase 'life is short' because it wouldn't have helped my point, considering we would live until something killed us.

I smirked to myself. I always wondered how he would explain my apparent lack of aging after my body matured. Kyuubi said that once I stopped growing, I would be stuck at that age. It made me giggle mischievously every time I thought of Deidara sputtering out a response fifty years from now when neither of us are wrinkly.

I jumped when he spoke, not noticing his thoughtful silence during my musings.

"You know what, un? I think I'll do it! I'll charm his fucking pants off, un!"

"Literally!" I grin.

"Yeah-! Wait, what the fuck, un!" And with that, he chased me around our house, yelling curses at the top of his lungs as I laughed over said curses as loud as I could, just because.

The neighbors probably preferred waking up to Aerosmith.

**Sasuke**

I kicked the door of my dorm open, throwing my stuff onto the bare mattress I had slept on the night before.

I turn, glaring at the two other people who had taken to making themselves at home during my trip to the store.

Karin and Suigetsu had paused in whatever argument they were having to greet me. "Sasuke!" I glared harder.

"What are you guys doing in my (and Juugo's) room?" They pout, Suigetsu speaking first.

"Well, my room-mate is registered, but he won't be checking in until the day before school starts! I'm rooming with a human! It's gonna be so lame!" Karin rolled her eyes.

"At least you aren't living with a total bitch! I mean, one girl hasn't even shown up and the Hyuuga isn't so bad, she's just a little shy, but that Ino-skank! UGH! She walks in all-"

"Did you say 'Hyuuga'?" My voice betraying my distaste against my will.

Karin struggled to nod, confusion written on her face. I sneered, not liking the idea of formal schooling even more if a snobby Hyuuga was here.

It was one thing to get attention against your will, it was another completely different thing to bask in said attention.

I have associated with _very _few Hyuuga, but said associations were always unpleasant, especially the males. Where as Uchiha males were very broody and possessive, Hyuuga males tended to be overly confident and stuck in their ways.

I almost wanted to shiver in disgust.

Karin gives me a look, "Um, Sasuke?" She says awkwardly, noting my expression, "She's actually easy to get along with. Hell, I don't even think _you _could have a problem with her." Ha, yeah right.

But then again, Hyuuga females usually weren't the fangirl type, either brought up as too prideful or too submissive to outwardly fawn over a man that could be considered 'worthy' of their bloodline.

The way Karin described her timid personality made me lean toward the Hyuuga being submissive.

I frown, but nod affirmatively to Karin's statement, finding it agreeable.

Suigetsu frowned, then grinned. "Hey Karin, I'll bet you fifty dollars that my room-mate will be lamer than all three of yours put together!"

Karin stared at him, I glared at him and Juugo pretended he wasn't there.

Karin pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Suigetsu, you are so fucking stupid."

And the war begins.

I honestly didn't understand why they fought. It was so obvious that they were made for each other, but they couldn't resist putting the other down at every opportunity. Why couldn't they understand that when one stopped, the other would?

It annoyed me, how childish their bickering was, how their banter had become so common that it was turning into a means of communication. I suppose every pair had something like that, something that they both understood and were comfortable with, but it was definitely something that _I _didn't comprehend and probably never would.

Only a little over a week later would I discover just how wrong I had been.

_**One week later**_

**Itachi**

I stirred the tomato soup once more before grabbing three bowls.

I feel Sasuke approach behind me, "Is it done?" I turn and nod, handing him one of the dishes I had retrieved.

My little brother had been visiting about every other day, usually because I made food he liked. It was nice having him around, despite the fact that we had yet to really talk about the past, but that was okay though. There was a comfortable normalcy settling between us, and we were slowly but surely getting to know each other once more.

I sit down with my soup, mumbling a quiet 'Itadakimasu', before bringing the spoon to my lips. Sasuke does the same, a clipped 'Thank you, nii-san.' being grumbled under his breath making me smirk.

As I glance to the bedroom door, the smirk drops.

I had been sharing the room with Sensei the entire week, but most of the time, he had been either unconscious or very lethargic. Sometimes he will sweat and hiss in his sleep, letting a low rumbling growl fill the quiet room. We had long ago blacked out the window above our bed, the morning light hurting Sensei's eyes.

Whenever I asked if there was anything I could do he would pull the blankets over his face, squeezing his eyes shut, telling me to leave him alone.

I sighed. If Sasuke noticed my worried glance he didn't say anything, and we eat in silence until he does.

"When was the last time he was awake?" A simple, monotonous question, but it received a strained, worried answer.

"... Seventeen hours ago."

Sasuke nodded before returning to silence for a full minute, as if he had thought rather critically about speaking.

"I learned in Orochimaru's layer that ties that involved curse marks are more effective on older and purer demons of that specific mark's roots. Perhaps it is reacting negatively because of just how pure his blood really is." I tense, praying that Sasuke had not researched Uchiha bonds.

"... What reason did you have for gaining this information?" He lifted a brow before answering.

"Orochimaru placed this curse mark on me as my sensei, but since it was not an Uchiha mark,my body was not as sensitive to it, and I did not feel the need to always be near him, but Madara seems to feel this way about being near you." I relaxed when it was apparent that he thought I had the mark as Madara's student.

I hummed, thinking the hypothesis over. It wasn't that far-fetched, especially considering the fact that mating bonds were so much more intense and empathetic.

But how could I relieve him of his sickness? If the bond mark was at fault, how could I fix the problem, and why was I not feeling anything? If it were the mark then I should have at least a _portion _of Sensei's symptoms, right?

I shake my head, confused. "This doesn't seem like the mark is at fault. This is something that is solely him." It was Sasuke's turn to hum in thought.

"It very well could be due to the body transfer. I don't know what he was like the last time he had his body, since it seems it was taken once again shortly after my birth, but I imagine he was nothing like this. What was he normally like?" I wrinkle my nose against my will.

I know Sasuke is just trying to help the situation, but I really didn't want him knowing anything about Sensei. He was mine and I didn't want Sasuke knowing anything about him beyond common knowledge. Why should Sasuke get to know the real Madara when I had to try so hard as a child? I went through years of his training, spent my free time with only him (and Sasuke), and finally Sensei let me in, trusted me. Would this be betraying him?

I really knew what was inside, just like he saw past _my _icy mask. I only knew the caregiver, the man with so few close to his heart. I only knew the strict, hard sensei that looked after my wounds at the end of every battle and defended me when I was threatened within the Uchiha district, as he could not leave.

The world only knew his evil. Yes, it was there, but evil resided in everyone. Sensei may have a twisted love, and an even more twisted hate, but he was still mine. Perhaps the world's Madara didn't belong to me. The cold war-lord, the demon who would slaughter any demon on a whim, the titan who could leave the world a barren waste land if he so wished.

They could think they knew Madara, but they didn't know him. He may very well be all of those things, but within his cold exterior was a hidden warmth, there was a demon who refused the murder of a child, who would defend those who were his with his all.

Who would defend me...

I didn't look at Sasuke, "It's late, school starts tomorrow. You should go back, otouto."

I couldn't see the exact expression, but I knew he made a face at my evasion. Giving a soft 'hn', knowing he wasn't going to get an answer, he got up from the table. He seemed confused as to why I was so secretive, but he wouldn't understand. It made me hope that someday he would find someone to call his so that maybe one day he _would _get it.

Sadly, Sasuke didn't seem the type to stray from those he was already comfortable with, so meeting new people was probably unlikely.

I watched as he made his way to the door, frowning. "Sasuke," and he turned, glancing at me skeptically before I beckon him with my hand. He frowns but walks forward, completely unaware. I smile, sticking out two fingers and muffling a chuckle when they make contact with his forehead. His mouth drops open and Sasuke gapes at me in a slight wonder that I hadn't seen from him in years.

I let my small smile shine through, "I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke." and he closes his mouth, nodding before walking out and gently shutting our door.

I start at the sound of a voice, "I am glad you are both back to the way you were," I look to the side and leaning against the door frame was Madara, but his face was blank, drowsy.

I stare at him, silently taking in his cozy appearance. Madara's hair was even more untamed that before but it seemed that the dark circles had vacated their residence under his eyes. His body was relaxed, but no longer struggling to keep upright in it's desire to sleep. He looked healthier, at least, but not by much. I couldn't understand why he didn't look the same as he had last time he had his body. I don't remember any of this happening to him.

We stay like that for awhile, watching one another, before he moves near me. I relax, "Are you hungry, Sensei?" and I see him tense as I nod toward the soup. His eyes narrow, much like a child's when they know they're being made fun of, but I saw no reason to be angry with the meal. I place the lid back onto the pot, taking his apprehension as a no.

I feel him press against my back, his face peering over my shoulder as his arm wrapped around to lift the lid once more, smelling it before placing the lid back and forcing air through his nose in a sort of distasteful hiss.

I smirked at his reaction, thoroughly amused. Abruptly, I turn in his half-embrace, having to lean down so as to not head-butt him. His eyes were lidded, making his gaze seem slightly heated and I reached up a bit to twirl the ends of his hair.

The locks were strangely oily, and he had a mildly musky scent to him, having probably not bathed. It wasn't overwhelming considering all he had done was sleep, but it still amused me that even Sensei was not as perfect as he seemed.

"Your scent is very strong..." And he almost chuckled at my attempt to sugar-coat it.

He leaned against me, talking softly in my ear, "If that is your way of telling me to bathe then I must say you're trying too hard to charm me, boy." I scowled, annoyed at how easily he could irritate me.

"Fine. You stink. Take a shower." and he chuckled.

"I prefer a hot springs, but I suppose a regular bath will do." And I could only gape as he walked away, shedding an article of clothing with each step toward the bathroom. By the time he made it to the door, he only had his baggy boxers and an undershirt on. I swallow, still staring as he pulls the door behind him, smirking at my reaction before leaving it cracked.

Okay, Sensei had definitely just scored points in our seduction-game.

That was the most skin I had ever seen of Sensei. My mouth opened and closed a few times as the water began running, the door still not fully closed. Was Madara inviting me in? Did he want me to bathe with him or did he simply want my company?

Well, only one way to find out.

I quickly make my way to the bathroom, opening the door only to get assaulted by the thick steam. It was rather hard to see, even harder to breathe, but I shut the door behind me and continued. There in the tub was Sensei, soaking in the possibly scalding water up to his nose.

Sensei and I had bathed together before in the hot springs, but he usually made sure to keep his distance from me and always made me get out first so I couldn't ogle him. He didn't seem to be a fan of people doing that.

Madara's eyes were closed, but I was sure he would feel my eyes burning holes into him so I resisted the temptation to check him out.

I sat on the edge of the large tub, fighting to face away from Sensei. Now that I think about it, there was no way Madara wanted me to bathe with him. The tub, though large, was not spacious enough to be shared in any way other than intimately, though I wouldn't mind being intimately close to Sensei.

Wouldn't mind a bit.

I hear the sound of water upon water as Sensei shifts and there is a comfortable silence between us, making me think that my presence truly _was _all he needed. It made me happy, knowing that Sensei was attracted to my company, to me.

"I have read all of the books." He said in slurred English.

I glanced to him, replying in Japanese, something we were both more comfortable with.

"That's good, I was wondering what you did when you were awake. I'm glad it was something productive." And indeed it was. I hadn't bothered to listen to all of what April-san said, but I knew Madara was going to be subbing in an English literature class. It would have been rather awkward if he couldn't read or speak about the material.

I spoke once more, "How are you feeling, Sensei?"

From the corner of my eye I see him turn away before sitting up, his back facing me. I turned more toward him, deeming it acceptable to look at him, waiting for an answer. I noticed with interest that the scars I had seen on his back after the first bath were a bit more pronounced and visible. Perhaps it was because I was closer?

No, they were definitely darker, even if by a mere shade. I absentmindedly wondered if it had to do with his health. There were so many weird quirks about Madara, so I could only assume.

He spoke finally, "I... believe my rest has helped quite a bit. I am not quite so bothered any more."

I wanted to ask what it was that bothered him, but I was almost sure that I would receive no response. He seemed to be rather secretive about it, almost as much as I was secretive with him, so I knew not to pry, despite my desire to know.

He leaned against me, his face on my lap dampening the sleep pants I had put on before dinner. It still surprised me at times, but I found that I loved when Sensei was openly affectionate. I played with his damp hair and he sighed, closing his eyes and nudging my lap slightly with his cheek, making me tense.

It was hard enough to ignore the fact that Sensei was naked with his boxers at my feet, but with his face in my crotch it was damn near impossible. I feel him laugh against my thigh.

"Something wrong, Itachi?" He said my name on purpose... Evil bastard.

I reply through clenched teeth, "No, Sensei." and I feel rather than hear him hum.

"Are you sure? Perhaps the steam is making you light-headed, you should probably remove some of your clothing, it may cool you down, boy." Madara was practically purring, and I would have definitely taken his advice if it weren't for the fact that I knew he was playing games with me.

That didn't mean I wasn't getting hard.

I remain tense, fighting to will away my growing erection as he looks up at me and smiles. "You are far too much fun to play with, my dear boy," and he reaches a wet hand up to caress my face, and I somewhat childishly bite at his fingers so get the warm hand away.

Instead of laughing or being offended, he seemed pleased with the way I fought back. Madara's face was blank, but there was an unnameable emotion behind his eyes, one that was fueled by instinct and some sort of primal submission that brought back that intoxicated feeling.

He backed away and resumed his bath, the both of us keeping soft conversation about tomorrow and how it would go. We continued talking as he left the bath tub, leaving me to avert my eyes out of respect.

"Your classroom is next to the room across from mine. After the teacher returns from leave, you will be a regular substitute, sitting in on classes as needed." When he was dressed, I turned around to find him staring at me rather intensely.

Madara's voice was low and monotone, "Why are we doing this, boy? Why are you trying so hard to be like these people?" But I ignored his question and walked away and into his bedroom.

I couldn't really find an answer that covered everything. I didn't come here just to build Sasuke, to spy on a school that most likely had little activity concerning Akatsuki in the first place. It wasn't because Akatsuki met here to avoid ANBU protectors and I didn't even come here to hide Sensei, because I knew that if he wanted to, he could disappear without my help.

He could also just eliminate his pursuers, but that wasn't the point.

I was here because I wanted to run. I had the ones that mattered at my side, I had my only two 'friends' nearby, none of the humans here knew what the name 'Uchiha' really meant. I had no stigma, no target on my back, no past for people to look upon.

I felt Sensei's hand on my shoulder, squeezing in a threatening way, daring me to ignore him once more.

I turned to face him, keeping my voice steady, "I am wanted all over the hidden world, and I am tired of running for something that people don't understand." I look down, unable to look him in the eye when I was speaking of such pathetic and selfish wants. "I want to be free from my title, and I don't want to be separated from..." But I couldn't finish, not in front of Sensei.

We stood in silence, him looking at me, I looking at his feet. When it became apparent that I couldn't finish, he placed his fingertips below my chin, gently pushing my face upward to meet his.

"It is alright to want, boy, I have said this. You are not expected to live for others besides yourself. If freedom is what you desire, then take it. I just do not see the need to pretend we are something we are not."

I smile, and I see my reflection in his dark silver eyes. How could I have forgotten? This is Madara-sensei, he always understood me.

I speak softly, "We don't have to hide around each other, Madara-sama. But just imagine it, walking out of this room, being a different person. No one know you as some kind of ruthless evil. You will simply be 'Kurosawa-sensei', and you can make him into anything you want. Here, with me, you can be Uchiha Madara and I will be Uchiha Itachi." His eyes met mine and glinted a bit with comprehension before the corner of his mouth turned up.

"We will see, my dear boy." And he led me to the bed by my hand, laying down and pulling me to rest on top of him.

I sighed as his chin rest atop my head and I adjusted the arms that were pinned between our chest. His own arms were wrapped around me and I couldn't help but to embrace the treatment I was receiving. I had always worried as a child that one day I would outgrow the nights that Sensei lay me on his chest to sleep, outgrow him taking care of me, but it seemed that I had simply grown into being able to do the same for him.

I listened in amazement as he once again fell asleep, his breathing and heartbeat slowing considerably. Well, at least he would be well rested tomorrow. I was almost excited to see how everything would go tomorrow. Would I be a good sensei like Madara? Would Madara be a good sensei, or was I the exception? How would Sasuke do?

I smiled as I fell asleep, moving my arms to hook them under Sensei and return his unconscious embrace. It didn't matter how tomorrow went.

I was free in this world, despite the ugly reminder of an Akatsuki meeting that was scheduled in a few days. It didn't matter to me. Even though joining the Akatsuki now seemed all for not, now that I had no need to protect Sasuke from the sidelines since he was with me, I still had the responsibility of watching them.

But it wasn't my main focus, because I had more important things on my mind.

And with that, I fell asleep against Madara, eager for what tomorrow would bring.

**Morning**

_'Fuuuuuuuck.'_

Who kept knocking after being thoroughly ignored?

I pulled myself from Sensei who had sprawled out with me in our sleep. I contemplate just laying there with him, ignoring the knocks that intruded on my morning, but I had a feeling they would only get louder. I sighed, taking one last longing look at Madara before turning and heading to the living room.

I put on my best 'Don't worry, I probably won't kill you.' face and opened the door.

By his reaction, I don't think it worked, as he was still frightened upon seeing my stare. Deidara and Kisame once told me that my stare was intimidating, but at the time, I hadn't really believed them.

I of course had never really _stared _at a human, but now I think I see what they meant.

He calmed himself, putting on a sweet and friendly smile before speaking, his English bright and cheerful sounding. "Erm, hello, I am Umino Iruka." I nodded, not feeling like speaking to introduce myself.

Umino awkwardly cleared his throat, "Right, well, I live next door with my fiance and our child, my other half is currently taking care of personal business in another country. I assume you are Kurosawa, the one taking over his class? Your classroom is right next to mine, isn't that funny? We're like double neighbors-"

"No, I am not Kurosawa." His ramblings finally catch up with me. I am always a bit drowsy when woken up and he was far too bright this morning. Plus, it had taken me a little while to remember how to reply in English.

He seemed to wilt a bit in his confusion. "Oh, well, the other teachers in the department told me that an older gentleman lived here as well, so I naturally assumed that he would be the teacher and you would be the substitute, being younger. I apologize, Mr. Karasu." I nod and he brightens once more.

"I hear you are new to teaching?" I nod again, "Well, this is a wonderful school to get started with! We have international students and teachers, many of Japanese descent, so I'm sure you will feel rather comfortable here." I had already known that about the school, assuming it was because of the Hyuuga youth attending.

He continues after my blank stare, "Well, erm, it is apparent that I have woken you, but since you are new to teaching I will assume you are unaware of this. Teachers are to be in their classrooms at _least _fifteen minutes before first bell. Most go in and hour before bell to get everything situated and organized so their day can be well planned out-"

"I organized my classroom the day everyone was setting up. I have my Japanese curriculum as well as my Calculus tutoring sessions all planned. I take ten minutes maximum to get ready in the mornings, if you are worried for tardiness, though I appreciate your concern." My tone was even, but I was a little more than offended that he assumed that I was behind. Itachi was always prepared. I'm sure I was glaring.

Umino truly did wilt this time, "Well, I suppose I will be seeing you across the hall then?" I gave a curt nod, dismissing him before shutting my door.

I made myself a small breakfast to eat before I wandered into my room to dress. I glanced at the useless mattress in deep thought. My sleeping in Madara's room had been a topic left unbreached, both of us silently using my lack of sufficient sleeping quarters as an excuse when we both knew that obtaining another mattress would be a simple task.

Now, all the room was good for was a closet, storage for all of my possessions and clothes. I liked it that way.

I walked out of my room and into Madara's clad in fitted black slacks, with a fitted black button-up dress-shirt to match. I lean over Sensei's sleeping form to tie back my smooth hair in a low pony-tail, not needing a brush.

Okay, so perhaps I had purchased the fancy mirrored head boards with perverted things in mind, but... Well, there were really no buts about it. I was a pervert.

I smirked at my thoughts, looking down at Madara's serene expression, wanting to know exactly what that beautiful face looked like when Sensei's orgasm shot through him.

I shake my head violently, not needing to walk out of here hard.

My hand gently strokes his arm, making him stir and mumble before turning into the contact.

"You should get up and ready, Sensei, we start school today." I smirk when he pouts. It was kind of sexy.

With a grumpy sigh he sat up, not bothering to acknowledge my presence as he moved out of the bed and sauntered to his closet, picking dark black denim and an equally dark turtle-neck. It amused me, his obsession with such clothing. I supposed that it was because he had always been used to protective, full-body armor that he persisted in dressing so modestly.

Madara had always been paranoid and introverted, so perhaps he used the clothing to 'shield' himself.

I continued musing to myself about Sensei's odd behavior as he changed in the closet. I don't see why he bothered considering I had practically watched him bathe the night before. Okay, maybe I hadn't allowed myself to watch, but I had been in the room when he was stark naked. I suppose he had been feeling bold last night, such confidence coming and going with Sensei.

He returns to my field of vision fully dressed, looking to me blankly. I give a small smirk, getting up to leave, him following behind me wordlessly.

When we get into the building and near our respective classrooms, he sighs, glaring at the offensive door that led to his class as well as any early student that happened to walk past.

I unlock my classroom, giving him the key to his, "I have already arranged your classroom for you, Kurosawa, everything you need, such as instruction and curriculum, is in your desk."

I watch as he unlocks the door and pockets his key, "... Thank you, boy."

I smirk, "That's Mr. Karasu, to you." He raises a slightly offended eyebrow, but nods and enters his room, and shutting the door.

No 'see you soon' or anything of the like? He must be cranky...

I do the same, sitting at my desk and fiddling with papers in thought when the first few children file in before bell.

I looked at my roster, smirking when I saw that Sasuke was in my second period class.

_Yes_, I thought as the bell rang, _this was going to be entertaining._

**Sasuke**

It was the first day of school and I already wanted to shoot myself. I hadn't even come into contact with a human. Yes, in truth, they hadn't been that bad so far.

Everyone had settled in two days before and most humans had been either too occupied with getting situated to approach him or they were simply giggling from afar. Karin had scared away the only females that had been gutsy enough to block my path and had thoroughly discouraged them. She had been rather annoyed lately due to one of her room-mates and was quick to take out her anger on a few stupid little girls.

The room-mate situation had been the bane of my existence this entire week, and it had nothing to do with Juugo.

All Karin and Suigetsu talked about was the 'bet' that Karin had apparently agreed to in the end.

Karin had ranted about how domineering Yamanaka continued to be, and how despite her efforts to get Hyuuga to take her side, the timid girl remained neutral. Karin had been in mid-yelling-match when her third room mate had walked in.

_~Flashback, Karin POV~_

_I swear to God if that bitch says one more thing-_

"_Karin, why are your shoes next to mine in the shoe closet?" I felt my eyebrow twitch. _

_She had laid out some 'ground rules' as soon as she walked in, despite Hinata and I being here first._

_She got the room with the human so she could boss her around._

_No problem, I didn't want to share a room with you anyway._

_No one touches her stuff. No ones _stuff _touches her stuff._

_I didn't want anything of yours in the first place._

_Whatever she says, goes._

_Like hell._

_I rolled my eyes, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of my voice. "It's a shoe closet. Shoes go there."_

"_No, I said your shoes could go in your room."_

"_And I said I don't give a fuck about what you said, you stupid bitch! That closet is one-fourth mine, maybe if you didn't have shoes out the ass, mine wouldn't have to touch yours!"_

"_Maybe if your shoes weren't so fat and fugly it wouldn't be such a big deal!"_

_I narrowed my eyes. "Just because you have dwarf-foot doesn't mean size seven is 'fat'!" How dare she call my feet fat._

"_Well, mayb-"_

"_Um, hello?" Ino paused mid-screech to smile deceptively at the girl in the doorway clutching her bags nervously._

"_Oh, you must be my new room-mate! I'm Ino. My you have a big forehead!" This bitch. _

_I sigh when the only reaction I see is a frown. Damn, not another Hinata. Well, it's only to be expected from a human, right?_

_Ino continued, pleased that she wasn't as smart as I was. "Well, anyways, here are the ground rules. One, our closet is mine. Two-"_

"_Yeah, no. Fuck that, pig. Half of everything that is rightfully mine is going to be just that: mine. So you can go ahead and get over yourself." I grinned, eagerly calling in Hinata to meet our new bad-ass room-mate._

_When Hyuuga was here, she introduced herself sweetly. "I'm Haruno Sakura. To my understanding you are Hyuuga Hinata, Maki Karin and … Ino-pig." Hinata giggle behind her hand, and I nodded my greeting, happy to have an ally._

_Ino, still in mild shock at being talked down to, finally stopped gaping like a fish to speak, "Excuse me? You seem to be confused about who is in charge here! I am-"_

"_I don't give a shit who you _think _you are, to me, you're just some bitch until you decide to pull your head out of your ass and act otherwise." She released her suit-case to crack her knuckles, looking intimidatingly at Yamanaka. "And if you think I'll put up with your bullshit, I'd be glad to show you just how serious I am." _

_And with that, I made a new friend._

"_Now, where is my room?"_

_~End funny flashback. Take that, Ino~_

**Sasuke Pov **

I must admit, it had greatly amused me. The first time.

Even though Karin had hit it off with this 'Sakura', she still complained about Ino, just so she could beat Suigetsu in his rants.

Suigetsu though, had ended up liking his room-mate, or rather, his room-mates friend.

_Flashback, you guessed it, Suigetsu pov_

_Fuck it's boring in here. It's been almost a week, and despite who my room-mate ends up being, I'll probably end up happy to see them. Sitting alone in your dorm on a laptop wasn't my idea of a good time._

_I could only hope that he was cool, though, because my dorm was a replica of Sasuke's and Juugo's. It was a semi-large room with a bathroom and a small kitchen area to the side. It wasn't much at all, but it was enough to house to students, so I guess that's all they were really going for when they designed it._

_I glanced to the bare bed mirroring mine on the opposite side of the room. I wonder what he would be like? I could probably handle an asshole, dealing with Sasuke's mood swings all the time had practically trained me in the art of prick-mastery. _

_My musing was interrupted by the sound of my door opening for the first time by someone who wasnt' me._

_I prepare for the worst, but frown when I see two guys bust in, one laughing loudly, one glaring slightly._

"_Come on, Gaara, I was just kidding! No need to get pissy!"_

"_Naruto, if you invite me to your room to 'hang out' one more time, I'll kill you." Woah, he sounds kinda serious..._

_The blonde one only grinned, "But Neji would be so eager to- Oh! Hey dude, didn't see you there." Both guys looked at me, finally realizing I was there._

_The blonde dropped the suitcase he was carrying and bound over to shake my hand. "I'm Tachibana Naruto!" and he grinned. This guy's pretty cool, but 'Wild Orange Fishcake'? I couldn't help but agree when I saw his obnoxious orange hoodie, but that name was completely fucked._

"_You my new room-mate?" He shrugged a no, throwing his thumb behind him at 'Gaara'._

"_Nah, you're with this cool guy. He's fine after you get past the icy glare and the death threats."_

_I grinned, "Well then we'll be just fine! I have an evil bastard of my own!" _

"_No way?" and we shared a laugh, making the red-head behind us glare as he put away his things._

_Naruto elbowed me playfully, "You qualified to room with a grumpy fuck?"_

_I smiked, "I'm over-qualified. My angsty friend practically has me certified to deal with heartless pricks."_

"_He sounds so charming." And we bark with laughter, I even see Gaara smile slightly. _

_My new room-mate speaks, his voice reminding me of Sasuke in that it was low and monotone, the only difference being that Gaara's was scratchier and devoid of the arrogance and hatefulness that Sasuke's carried. "I can hear you, you know." Yeah, he wasn't so bad._

_Naruto smiled, whispering, "Maybe we can set up a asshole play-date and they can take turns saying mean things to each other, maybe have a glaring contest!" And I can't help but laugh when said icy glare is directed at Naruto's back. _

_Damn, that would give Sasuke a run for his money._

_Naruto seems to feel the eyes on his back, turning and walking towards the redhead, ruffling his hair, "Ah, you know I don't mean it, Gaara." And the latter nods, a small appreciative smile on his lips as he goes to put his toiletries in the bathroom._

_Naruto sobers a bit, "So, Gaara's an insomniac, if he sleeps, call me." And he hands me a folded slip of paper with what I assume to be his cell number. "He's quiet and doesn't talk much, so don't expect a lot of conversation. If you fuck with him, I'll kick your ass. If you're cool, feel free to hang out." He finished with a grin and I nodded dutifully, not willing to offend such an honorable bro._

_He nodded back, turning to holler. "Gaara! I'm going to unpack my stuff! I'll be sure to tell Neji how good you are in bed!" And he shrieked, barely dodging the bottle of shampoo that had been chucked at him. I gaped at the open comment, wondering if it was just teasing or if they had actually boinked. _

_Naruto winked at me before racing out of the room, laughing maniacally._

_That's when I decided: These guys are alright._

_~End funny flashback. Hehe, poor Gaara~_

**Sasuke**

I honestly didn't see what was so great about a dumb blonde and a most likely less hot me, but it was better than a 'whiny bitch', so Suigetsu had to pay up fifty bucks.

This week had been far too long, though. I spent most of it alone with Itachi, since Madara seemed to be sleeping a lot. I vaguely wondered if it had anything to do with the candy thing.

Still, part of me was glad that Madara had been scarce, since they tended to stick to each other like glue whenever one was around. Madara's absence left Itachi and I time to get back to normal, like we used to be. I mean, I didn't see myself riding around on his back or asking to train with him and Madara anytime soon, but still.

… Okay, it would be kind of awesome to train with Itachi and Madara some time, but I wasn't going to ask!

I checked the time on my cell phone, eager to leave this first class. Mitarashi-sensei was a complete psycho, and there was something about her that reminded me of Orochimaru, which was extremely unsettling, especially considering the fact that she taught chemistry of all things.

There hadn't been anyone in my class from my small group either, making me more than a little uncomfortable around the crazy woman.

I glanced to the pink haired girl next to me who offered a charming smile in return before going back to the note she was writing the Hyuuga girl.

When Mitarashi made us complete a social activity (to get us to mingle), the had valiantly saved me from a mob of giggling arians with fake tans, her conniving method of doing so reminding me of Karin.

When she introduced herself as Sakura, I immediately knew why, and I saw why they hit it off so well. Though Sakura was definitely sweeter, I had to say that they had quite a few similarities.

Especially the shameless flirting.

I immediately shot her down, not bothering to be nice about it since females, human or not, only seemed to get it if you were completely clear.

Surprisingly though, she had only sighed and said, "Well, can't blame me for trying," and sat down next to me, bringing the Hyuuga female with her, much to my prejudice distaste.

I would have normally gotten up and changed seats, but she seemed okay and she stayed quiet, only talking to her room-mate, who was polite enough to ignore my glares at her.

Towards the end of class when Mitarashi-sensei told us to keep our conversations at a dull roar, Sakura turned to me.

"What's your next class, Sasuke?" I gave her a look from the corner of my eye, not bothering to face her and deemed it okay to hand her my schedule, not seeing her to be the stalker type.

She held it next to hers, smiling as she handed it back to me. "Man, that's gonna be one hell of a class! It seems all my friends are in it!" Woah, we aren't friends... "I wonder what the teacher is like."

"He's probably a prick," I say before I can stop myself. I had meant for that to stay in my head as a joke, but it had escaped against my will.

Sakura seemed thoroughly amused. Annoying wench. "Oh? Are you familiar with Mr. Karasu?" I scowl, wishing I could glare at my mouth.

"You could say that." I decided to leave it vague. If I lied and she noticed how identical Itachi and I look it would be suspicious.

She pouted, but jumped as the bell rang, dismissing us. When I got up, her arm hooked through mine, making me bristle uncontrollably. "Let's all go to class together! C'mon Hinata!" and she dragged us both, most likely not noticing how tight my muscles were.

She pulls Hyuuga and I at a brisk pace with strength that had me doubting her humanity, passing classroom after classroom until we make it to Itachi and Madara's hall in the B building. I could feel myself slowly losing my composure after so long of putting up with her skin touching mine.

Yes, there was a big difference between Sakura and Karin. Karin knew better, where as Sakura had no idea.

We near Itachi's classroom and I stop, jerking Sakura to a halt, consequently doing the same to Hinata. I can't let Itachi see me so bothered. Surely he would understand, but I still didn't want him holding anything like that over my head, especially something I couldn't control.

I let my mask take over, coming up with a believable lie, "I see one of my friends in that class," I say, pointing to where I saw Madara lounging in his swivel chair. "I'm gonna go say hi." Sakura nods before walking into the classroom, Hyuuga looks knowingly but follows at my glare. That's right, bitch.

She must know I don't like her kind. It makes me wonder whether or not she's figured out I'm an Uchiha yet with her Byakugan.

I sigh, making my way into the classroom to my side, glaring at the students and addressing the teacher.

"Kurosawa." Madara had been leaning back in his comfortable looking chair with his feet on the desk, enjoying a sour lollipop.

He pulled the candy from his lips with a pop, "Sasuke, you must be mistaken, you have my class tomorrow." and he resumes his previous activities.

I glare. "I am aware of that." Ha, me, mistaken.

Madara places his feet under his desk, moving to lean forward and place his elbow where his feet had once been, resting his head on his hand as he looked at me expectantly.

He spoke in a hushed tone, "Is something bothering you, child?" and I suddenly realize why Itachi had always favored his sensei, following him like a lost puppy as a child.

Despite the demeaning terms of endearment, his concern was comforting and he seemed legitimately interested in my well-being. I had always thought it to be strange, but I sort of understood why Itachi still called him Sensei.

He waited patiently for my answer, and I sat in the empty student-desk directly next to his. I suppose it had been placed there for occasions just like this, but not for me. I knew Itachi to be the one responsible for arranging this room and couldn't help but wonder if he had arranged his the same, leaving a designated desk in his room for Madara to visit as well.

They really were attached at the hip.

I reluctantly met his eyes, "I just needed to compose myself away from Nii-san." And he narrowed his eyes, but nodded in understanding.

"What has disturbed you?" and I look at him questioningly. I had imagined Madara to be the type to let me alone to figure it out on my own, not wanting anything to do with my problem.

I answered hesitantly, keeping our conversation low so the few students in the room couldn't eavesdrop.

"This female grabbed my arm, and it just-" My hands tensed angrily and his watchful eyes took notice.

He did something strange, unexpected. I watched apprehensively as he placed his hand in mine and wrapped my fingers around his.

I looked at him questioningly, to which he simply replied in a hushed tone, "Squeeze," I raised an agitated eyebrow. I was trying to get over a mild freak-out, this was no time for handshakes.

He smiled a disarming smile, one that seemed to run in the family, "Just do it. Squeeze until you can't anymore, until my knuckles break, until _your _knuckles break." I gape at him, but he just nods.

Awkwardly, I do so, increasing the pressure until I felt his bones resist, then shift, trying not to snap.

"Keep on," He murmured, not phased in the least. It soon became me trying to get a reaction out of him, but he only kept that pleased expression, even after multiple snaps were heard. I finally release his hand, letting out a gust of slightly exhausted breath, watching as he cradles the lifeless thing in his lap, popping the bones back.

How could he possibly be okay with me breaking his hand? Why hadn't he told me to stop? I had crushed his hand as completely as I could without turning the thing into a lump of wet bone dust! What did his mangled hand have to do with Saku-

"Do you feel better?" I looked up, stopped mid-thought, and accessed my current state.

Well, yes, I thought slightly amazed, I _do _feel better.

"How did you know how to fix it-" But he waved off my question.

"I can tell you some other time, Sasuke, you should go to class. You don't want to be late for _his _class, do you?" And he gave me the smile again.

I nodded, getting up and mumbling my thanks before walking across the hall.

Perhaps I had misjudged Madara. I had assumed he was moody and angsty with a dash of insanity, but it seemed that there was something else that lied deep within his cold, hard exterior. Something that contradicted the rumors of his mercilessness, something that went against the supposed 'evil' within his dead, blackened heart.

As I walked into Itachi's classroom and gazed upon his own cold, ruthless mask, I tried to see beyond it. It would probably be easier if he would stop glaring at me for almost being late.

Still, I tried. I stared challengingly at his mask from the doorway, noticing the frightening similarities between all of ours. That meant that I too had a deeper center to myself, but frankly, it was much easier to dissect someone else. I nodded to him, surprising him slightly out of his glare, and he nodded towards the desks, telling me to find a seat.

I walk up the aisles, more comfortable with a seat in the back next to Suigetsu, despite the general ruckus and chatter. I sit down in the seat, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone, and glare straight ahead to the white board, just as I had last class.

The shark demon turns to me, grinning.

"Sasuke!" And I begrudgingly turn to acknowledge him, but he's turned away from me once again, now talking who ever was at his other side.

"This is the asshole I was talking about, Naruto." And he leans back to let the boy get a look at me.

I was prepared to be gawked at, because it seemed that humans didn't really know how to react to such deceptive beauty, but I didn't even get a glance.

I raised an eyebrow, letting my eyes roam over his tense form.

And tense he was. It seemed as if every muscle in his body had clenched up, even the ones in his constipated looking face. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were in his lap, probably squeezing each other as hard as I had been squeezing Madara's had a mere few minutes ago. It was kind of funny, how focused he looked as he glared at the top of his desk, refusing to lift his pretty blonde head-.

A sadistic, sinister smirk spread over my intrigued face.

_No way..._

_**BWAHAHAHAHA!**_

**Jk, bro.**

**Sorry it took so long to update, but I had a short bout of laziness, as well as a long trip at my friend's house where it is slightly awkward to write smutty stories on my laptop when we are trying to bond. I mean, she's totally cool with me writing them, but she's like "Hey bro, I'm trying to hang out with you, here."**

**So! I shall gift you with a longer chapter! I'm thinking about making all of the future chapters this long, so, I probably won't update _quite _as often.**

**Also, I didn't really read over it again, so if there are any mistakes, please point them out and I'll correct them. I'm too lazy to do so now, but I'm too eager to wait to upload... I need a beta...**

**Pekudi, Maximoffs_forever! 3 3**

**Your reviews keep me going! I'm glad you guys enjoy my story! Thank you SO much for reading!**

**You too, guest readers! Threes all around!**

**(woot woot)**

**~SaLEm**


	10. Confrontations

**Greetings once again!**

**ATTENTION! I kinda wanna throw Mpreg into this story and I have a way to do it smoothly, but what do you guys think? Yay or nay?**

**! _Un-beta-ed_ ! (can't stress that enough.)**

**Also, this chapter has a lot of Sasuke and Naruto, but I mean, come on, last chapter kinda tipped you off on that, and they're a pretty big deal in this one. BUT, the later half of the story is ALL ItaMada stuff, for my junkies out there. You know who you are... Grandma...**

**Any ways, hope you like!**

**Chapter Nine 'Recap': So, Madara sets Itachi straight, Gaara's dad's dead, Itachi feels Madara up, Madara messes with Itachi's head, they share a moment before they all go shoppin'. Naruto teases Gaara, dances with Deidara, and tries being the love doctor. Sasuke hates Hyuugas and can't seem to understand Karin and Suigetsu. Madara hibernates, Itachi keeps hiding stuff from Sasuke, Madara teases Itachi with his nakedness, Itachi comes to terms with why he's trying so hard to fit into the human world, Madara reassures him and they cuddle :3 They both get their teacher stuff going, It's starting to become apparent that Konoha has a watchful eye on the school since the Hyuuga's are there(what with all the teachers.) Sasuke is tired of his friend's bet, Sakura touches him, He gets freaked out and goes to Madara for help, strangely actually gets that help, then goes to class, confronted with a pleasingly familiar face...**

**Chapter Ten~: Confrontations**

* * *

**Naruto**

I told myself to calm down and look excited for school. I had been at first, I had my first class with Suigetsu, Neji and Kiba and it had been funny to see what Kiba and Neji acted like away from the watchful eyes of their superiors.

Or so they thought. Heh heh...

This was one of the few classes I had where my teacher wasn't from Konoha. I thought it was pretty stupid having other people watching over the school when my team was more than capable of doing so on our own. But I wouldn't put it past the Geezer's advisers to push for older watchers to look after the bijuu, _me _in particular, being the Kyuubi's vessel.

It wasn't so bad, though, I had creative writing with Iruka sensei for third period, and my second and third period classes were literally right across from each other.

That didn't mean I wasn't going to prolong my hall wandering during passing period. Heh heh heh...

When I got my schedule in my first period I had been extremely confused. It said I had English Literature with Kakashi Hatake, but I knew for a fact that he was on break in Konoha, recovering from an attack. I knew he planned on keeping this mission spot once he fully recovered, but it still struck a strangely uneasy chord with me, I just couldn't explain why.

Eh, oh well, they must've found a replacement on short notice. Damn, that would have been a funny class, too. Knowing Kakashi, we would have been reading a rough translation of Jiraiya's Icha Icha books.

I still can't see how that guy is a Sannin, or a Sennin(sage) for that matter.

I laughed and joked with Kiba and Suigetsu the entire class, driving the teacher mad. My role was the dumb jock, right?

I forced my face into a dumb expressions when Neji makes a smart comment, pretending to not get it in order to fulfill said 'role'. That's right, I'm an aspiring actor.

Okay, not really, but Gaara, Sakura and I had specific molds to fit so we can have a certain niche that will make us look like we really belong. Kakashi suggested that we do it in order to gain a wider field of vision in our watch of the school.

In my oppinion, if they wanted a wider field of vision they should have recruited Neji, but since this assignment had to do with watching _Hyuuga _as well, since he was attending the school, we sadly couldn't take the easy way out.

Besides, if he decided to eat someone's soul I wanted to catch him, and the only way to catch him is off guard, so he couldn't know that there were ANBU lurking around with their eyes peeled, other wise he would be too careful or act like he did in Konoha.

Not that I was worried about him soul-stealing much, but it would still be pretty crazy to catch something like that.

Anyways, we were all supposed excel in different fields so we could have that 'thing' to worm our way into the inner circles.

Sakura was the super-smart popular girl, the total social butterfly in student council that everyone loved.

Gaara was the quiet artsy guy, and by now, everyone was probably already spreading rumors about how scary and anti-social he was. 'At a boy, Gaara.

And I, once again, as in every other mission even remotely similar to this one, was the dumb jock. I was currently the Karate class' rising star, as well as the second fastest guy on the track team. I could easily be number one, but if I surpassed Lee of all people it would be suspicious. But since Lee wasn't in swim, I could be as fast as I wanted.

But considering I wasn't on the swim team, competitiveness didn't matter. My schedule would have been too cramped to do an additional after-school team with my mission. Plus, in swim you can't have jewelry, so I would have had to take my fancy new necklace off.

Damn.

Anyways, I was supposed to be a trouble maker, loud and obnoxious and kinda slow, but Sakura reassured me that I wouldn't have to be acting much. Jerk...

When we had received all of the finalized details of our mission, Tsunade and Jiraiya had been there to wish us luck. Part of me wanted to tell them about the weird dreams I had been having every time I slept in my room, but I was hesitant.

The first time I'd had it, I assumed it was a wet-dream, because the first thing I saw was the sexiest man I had ever fucking seen, but it was nothing like that. He was sitting in my subconscious, the shallow water pooling around him, but when he made to stand, his white robe-garment wasn't wet. His eyes were closed when he turned to look at me, glowing almost.

For awhile, I stayed still, watching him look for me with his eyes closed. When I finally moved, his head snapped in my direction, his eyes opening slowly, and suddenly we were in the silent forest, the black darkness eating at anything that wasn't him in my line of vision. His glaring eyes were wide, now, and thoroughly disturbed. I had never seen anything like it. His eyes were red, but had strange, spinning designs that reminded me of a kaleidoscope.

Suddenly, the eyes met mine, and everything in my dream went bat-shit crazy. The other teen was completely engulfed in a fiery violet shield that reminded me of the nine-tails cloak, and everything around me started to melt and blend together like a bad acid-trip.

I kept staring into his eyes, unable to look away and there was a piercing pain that erupted in my brain, and he began crackling with a black lightening that reminded me of Chidori, but it was harshly tainted, deviated and different from Kakashi's. I watched as the purplish cloak morphed into a monster, and the boy's eyes bled as he grinned psychotically.

I had shot up in bed in a cold sweat, the last thing I remember from the dream being the unstoppable black fire coming from his eyes, aimed straight for my face. When I thought about telling Jiraiya, Kyuubi had forcibly shut me up, promising to send me even worse dreams if I opened my trap.

Yeah, no, I had kept that particular nightmare to myself. That just freaked the shit out of me.

Still, even without hearing about purple chakra demons and black fire, Jiraiya and Tsunade looked as off as I had been the day after actually seeing it. I'd expected them to joke with me about my 'stupid' role, all three of us could exchange playful banter, but there was nothing of the sort.

Tsunade in particular had been weird. She was clutching some gaudy looking crystal necklace, and when I made fun of it, she got mad, bopping me in the head saying, "Don't make fun of my grandfather's necklace, you brat!" and I had been shocked. The shodaime's necklace? I asked why she had it but she didn't answer my question, she just handed it over to me.

She explained that it would strengthen my weakening seal, making Kyuubi impossible to detect, even to a Hyuuga, and that though the necklace didn't emit chakra, it would prevent certain demons from coming into contact with me, as well as further camouflage certain traits such as my whiskers and my seal, making them invisable.

It had made me nervous to see them so paranoid about even the little things, but Sages could feel stuff that others couldn't and I hadn't been an official Sage for very long, so I gladly accepted the necklace Tsunade gave me.

I wondered if all of this 'extra protection' crap had anything to do with the way Kyuubi had been acting, and if _that _was what they were sensing, but I quickly dismissed the thought. Only Kyuubi and I could sense Kyuubi's nine-tails power, right?

The meeting had been long and full of formalities, but lacking details, making me long for truthful conversation. It annoyed me how sugar-coated the briefing was. After the Kyuubi incident, the council of Konoha, as well as the Demonic council, had agreed to be rather tight-lipped. About _everything_.

Needless to say, my generation was pretty sheltered. No, seriously, we didn't even bingo books. I had to steal Kakashi's once, and then we got in trouble!

Council forces Sandaime to leave it to the Sensei and Captain of whatever squad or team you're in to tell you the history they want you to know, but other than that, they couldn't tell you much. If they did, one of the council would have your Captain's head.

It made me wonder what the older generations _really _knew about Akatsuki and other enemies like Orochimaru.

After awhile, I had noticed how quiet Kurama was being. I tried asking him what was up, once again longing for a conversation, but I got no response. When I got home and took the necklace off, meeting finally over, I received an ear-full. Kyuubi said that it made him want to sleep, that it made it difficult to lend chakra to me for long periods of time. He complained about how annoying the effects of the crystal were for a good hour. I'm sure it would have been longer if I hadn't put the necklace back on to shut him up.

Well, at least the stupid thing hides him. Now I don't even have to use the energy to hide him myself.

The bell rings, jarring me out of my thoughts, and I skip to my next class with my arms around Suigetsu's and Kiba's shoulder, all three of us being as obnoxious as possible while Neji followed behind us shaking his head. If Kyuubi were awake, I'm sure he would have made fun of me.

We all barge into the room, causing a bit of a riot when our new friends see us, all shouting their own greeting to us.

When I remembered I was in a classroom, I turned to the front desk where the teacher would be seated, my hand nervously scratching at my head as I mumble an apology. The teacher hadn't been at the desk at all, rather, he had snuck up behind me in a way that was far too stealthy for a human. I looked up and froze, almost mistaking him for the evil sex-god that had plagued my nightmares.

When I realized it wasn't him, certain differences distinguishing the two such as hair and eyelashes('cuz this guy had some freakishly girly eyelashes), I relaxed, only to tense once more. It wasn't his glare that got me, though, it was his scent. I didn't need Kyuubi's nose to be able to recognize it. It was the same scent Deidara tried to hide after certain 'visits'.

"Have a seat," He had said, and his voice was even scarier than I had imagined. I quickly nodded and sat in the back, far away from him as I frantically pulled out my schedule. 'Shisui Karasu'.

I glanced back up at him, my heart pounding rather erratically. What?

But-, but that's... Why was Uchiha Itachi here?

I bit my lip as I watched Gaara walk in and nod to me, but sit directly in front of his desk.

_No, not so close_, I thought, but I knew Gaara couldnt' hear me.

I made myself calm down, pretending Kurama was awake and thinking through things logically like he would.

_Relax, Uzumaki, _I thought to myself, _Itachi doesn't know what you look like. Everything will be fine, just act natural._

I breathed out a sigh, reassuring myself that Itachi wasn't watching me like a hawk. Strangely, he was looking around the room disinterestedly, as if he were waiting for someone in particular, rummaging around his desk. He actually looked like a teacher.

My mind went back to an early picture of him in Kakashi's bingo book just to make sure. He had to have been about ten when the picture was taken, and it was hard to compare the cold young face and the older, colder face I saw now. I probably wouldn't have recognized him without the scent, because his face was much more mature and scary than it had been in the picture.

I didn't understand it. What could a guy who got into a _bingo _book before puberty be doing here? Sure, he was in Akatsuki, but he couldn't be on a mission here, other wise I would have seen Deidara here, and I know for a fact that he's at home.

Plus, if this was Akatsuki business, it meant that either me or Gaara had been found out, but he payed us no mind. His reasons for being here didn't seem to have anything to do with Bijuu.

I forced a grin and began talking excitedly to Sakura and Hinata as they greeted their other room-mate, Karin. I had been brought into the conversation by Suigetsu who had known Karin as well, and we were now talking as a group.

Suigetsu was trying to introduce their other friend, Juugo, but he seemed uninterested in leaving the very back of the class. We were all joking about having that _one _anti-social friend, I talking about Gaara, Suigetsu talking about Juugo, all the while making references to his other 'bastard-friend' who we had dubbed 'Cranky-pants'.

Suigetsu and I continued with our little inside joke, him having told me of how unpleasant he could be, and he was probably already aware of how crabby Gaara was, having to sleep in the same room with him. Our talk seemed to spark a memory of some sort with Sakura, because she jumped with excitement and promptly turned to the nearest 'GurlFran' to convey her thoughts.

"Oh my god, Karin. I met the _finest _guy in my last period!" Karin gave an open-mouthed grin.

"Nuh-uh! Did you get them digits? What's his name!"

"No, he was kind of rude, like, in a 'don't talk to me' kind of way, but he was SO hot! His name's Sasuke Hebi!" But Sakura's excited expression died as Suigetsu and Karin erupted into uncontrollable snickers, soon turning into loud barks of laughter.

Sakura tilted her head cutely, "What, guys?" but the two only laughed harder, holding their guts, and wiping tears from their eyes as they recovered, trying to come up with an excuse for their laughter. Even the buff quiet guy in the back was smiling a bit, obviously in on the joke.

Okay, now even _I _wanted to know what was so funny.

Karin stuttered, obviously trying to come up with a decent excuse for laughing in Sakura's face, "Well, Sasuke is our- Sasuke's kinda-"

"Sasuke's gay." Suigetsu dead-panned, receiving a smack to the back of the head from Karin.

"Don't say that about Sasuke! I hope he kicks your ass!" She sounded like she was ready to go full rage-mode, reminding me of Sakura, and strangely of the things people told me of my mom, but Sakura interrupted, saving us all. Especially Suigetsu.

"You know Sasuke?" And Karin bit her lip, receiving a warning glance from the buff guy, Juugo, but giggled and drug Sakura and Hinata off anyway. They went to the other side of the room before I could see Karin quietly giggling and fawning over this 'Sasuke', Sakura doing the same while Hinata awkwardly smiled, glancing to Neji at his side of the room, requesting help.

I smirked at the exchange, watching as Neji removed himself from his own group of fans to rescue his little cousin from the dramatically girly giggling session.

I laughed a bit before turning back to Suigetsu, "Wow..."

He snorted, "Yeah, Sasuke is the emo friend I told you about. You'know, 'Cranky-pants'." He continued rambling and I snickered as he made funny gestures.

All of the sudden, though, I felt myself tense again, and I checked to see if Itachi was staring at me. I looked up to see him glaring at the door way, intently focused. I felt my eyes sting as Kyuubi lent his superior demon vision to me so I could try and zoom in to see what he was looking at.

I almost wished I hadn't.

There, in the doorway, was this creepy-assed dragon-monster. It and Itachi were just staring at each other and I vaguely wondered if it was a spirit that only Itachi and I could see until I heard a squeel. When I recognized it to be Sakura's, I looked over to see if she was okay, expecting a frightened or horrified face, but she was staring at the monster lust.

I looked back, checking him over as he continued his glaring contest with Itachi. Sure, I could see the appeal if you were a demon, but for Sakura to find him attractive was weird.

He was tall and his skin was a dark, dead-looking color. His hair was an ash-blue and his lips were violet, once again reminding me of a corpse. Said lips were lifted a bit, pushing out and I was sure that his canines were long and sharp like Kyuubi's. There was a strange, black star-like thing across his nose and the whites of his eyes were completely blacked out, making the manic looking red in them pop that much more.

I tore my gaze away from his face to examine the rest of him, rigid with an unnameable emotion tied between terrible recognition and paralyzing fear.

Because I was just that, paralyzed.

I choked when the claw-like wings came into view as he walked into the room, making his way up the aisle, closer and closer to me. My eyes twitched as I forced them back to blue and I saw Gaara's worried gaze on me before I threw my gaze to the desktop in front of me, every bone and muscle in my body locking.

_**...Your room...**_

I hear Kyuubi say in an exhausted voice, probably having used too much energy just to lend me his sight. At first, I don't know what he means and I remain completely still, hoping the demon wouldn't see me if I made no movement. This was by far the scariest non-bijuu I had ever encountered, at least appearance-wise.

Sadly though, my complete and utter stillness did me no good, as Suigetsu actually turned to _greet _the dragon looking demon. I felt rather than saw him turn, his eery eyes boring into Suigetsu. Out of the corner of my now-blue eyes, I could see that his appearance had changed and played with the thought of Kyuubi making me see him like that to fuck with me, but quickly scratched the thought.

No, Kurama wouldn't do that. What I saw then and what I see from the corner of my eye is the same guy.

I clench my teeth as Suigetsu speaks, bringing attention to me. "This is the asshole I was talking about, Naruto." And he leans back, leaving me as prey.

I feel him watching me, his eyes cold and calculating. The air around him changes and I can barely see a movement on his face, too scared to look at him still, but I could tell he was smirking.

… _**Not the one... This one can't do anything here...**_

And suddenly, Kyuubi's last comment made sense to me. We were freezing up because this was an Uchiha, the one that had been in my room. I made myself relax and seem calm and unaffected, staring straight ahead to the white board to reign in on myself.

There was a definite sense of dread coming from Kyuubi, but it wasn't the kind from the forest. I was getting too worked up, letting my paranoia get to me. Kurama was right, he couldn't do anything here, and frankly, neither could Itachi without getting caught.

Then again, they could just genjutsu everyone...

I inwardly shake my head, stealing myself to remain on the positive side.

This is the guy who knew my face, knew my technique. I feel determination fill my eyes as I turned to face him challengingly, only to have them narrow when I actually see his face.

This 'Sasuke' was that sexy dream-guy. He was missing his white robe, replacing it for a tight white dress-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The way he left the first few buttons undone made my mind flash back to the dream, seeing the same evil grin that I was faced with now.

His grin shrunk down to an arrogant smirk and he gave me an unimpressed once-over.

Sasuke turned, facing forward once more, completely bored.

"Hn." What?! That's it? What a prick-

And I suddenly remembered Deidara yelling the same thought about him. This guy, Uchiha Itachi's little brother, the only survivor of the Uchiha clan.

I glance back and forth between Sasuke and Itachi, who currently seemed to be silently conversing through glares.

I don't get it. Shouldn't they be trying to kill each other? Weren't they blood-thirsty psychopaths, bent on killing one another?

I watched as the smirked at each other, their almost identical faces mirroring one another before Sasuke looked back at me.

"What are you staring at, Dobe?" What the fuck? I'm not a fucking loser-

"What the fuck did you just call me?" I hear Neji scoff at our exchange, obviously amused. I personally think it would be funnier if he knew I was the one that bossed him around on missions, but that's just my oppinion.

I hide a laugh at the glare Sasuke sends him. I had always thought Uchiha and Hyuuga clansmen would be cool with each other, but I guess not.

Sasuke looks back to me, "I called you a dead-last. As in a complete and total loser."

"Fuck you, you fucking prick!" Evil bad-ass or not, I'm done quivering in fear if this guy is gonna be a douche.

"That's some lovely vocabulary you have there."

"Shut the hell up, you prissy bitch! I'm not about to listen to you talk shit, so you can go ahead and shut your girly-ass mouth!" I was standing up now and I had the attention of everyone in the classroom, including the elder Uchiha, who was silently watching with a smirk on his face.

Sasuke's head snapped to the side to send me the iciest glare I had ever seen in my life, and I even felt Kyuubi growl in response, mumbling about how familiar it was as the temperature dropped.

Sasuke's tense body rose ever so slowly, like an angry serpent waiting for the right moment to strike. I readied myself, hating that I would give myself away so easily when he attacked, but glad it would expose him as one of the infamous Uchiha as well. He didn't get half-way out of his seat, though, before a call from the front stopped him in his tracks.

"Sasuke." And said raven looked to the front, glaring at his older brother before following the silent order.

I sit back down when Itachi's gaze snaps to me as well, my body and Kyuubi's demonic instincts thoroughly excited.

The room was rather cold now, only just starting to warm back up as Sasuke calmed down. It was obvious now that no one had ever stood up to him, his reaction screaming rage and disbelief, and I swear I felt his creepy aura swell around him, probably being responsible for the temperature drop. I glanced up, my sight not focusing on Neji but looking past him well enough to see his eyes.

Damn, they weren't activated. That would have gotten rid of Sasuke in a hurry. If Neji could prove that Sasuke was an Uchiha, he could report it to ANBU and lock away two of the most wanted fugitives in Konoha.

I flick my eyes to the other Hyuuga and see the veins in her eyes residing before quickly averting my eyes back to the front so as to not make a show of looking to the Hyuuga cousins. I frown, wishing Neji had seen it instead of her. Hinata was too considerate to just turn someone in unless she knew for sure of their crimes, and though I knew for sure that Sasuke was on the run, I really didn't know what for.

I felt Gaara's eyes on me, glaring worriedly. I give him the 'we can talk later' look and he faces forward, waiting for 'Mr. Karasu' to speak, and I do the same. For a moment, he seems focused on Hinata, probably catching her Byakugan with his all-seeing eyes, trying to decide if she was a threat or not. I would definitely have to watch out for her...

Finally, after glaring Hinata into a whimpering pile of fear, Itachi looks up and addresses the class.

"Welcome to your second period class, Japanese IV. I am Mr. Karasu, your teacher."

"Doesn't your name mean 'class'?" Asked a loud boy in the back.

"No. You are thinking of 'kurasu'. Moving on," And he sighed irritably as he continued, choosing to ignore another hand that had sprung up in front, belonging to a Yamanaka clansmen.

"This year, there will be vigorous study of Kanji, the honing of conversational skills, and forming your own complex thoughts in a daily journal, where you will occasionally write full stories and essays, in straight Japanese. Any English written in these journal entries will receive an immediate failure on the assignment." Jesus Christ.

I mean, I know it's Uchiha Itachi, but damn. Nazi-sensei, much?

I would hate to have him as an ANBU superior. I heard he was a captain at age eleven, his group had gone insane after their first S-rank mission, shortly before he killed off his clan.

It made me wonder what kind of heartless bastard _Itachi _trained under, because no body got that messed up on their own.

"I'm going to skip the 'get to know you' games, since everyone here seems rather acquainted already," He paused to send a look to me and Sasuke, "and I assume you know how to mingle on your own."He walked over to the white board and began writing out main Japanese grammar rules as he continued speaking.

"To replace said games, I request that you write a short introductory paragraph of yourself in Japanese that you will leave on my desk as you go to your next class." Ah, that explained the rules. "You will present these next time you see me for your first grade. If you have any questions, please raise your hand or approach my desk." Ha, like anyone was going to be brave enough to-

"Excuse me, Karasu-_sensei,_" Someone was overachieving.

He raised an eyebrow at her obvious flirtation, "Yes, ms...?"

She smiled, "Oh, Ino Yamanaka." and he looked to her questioningly.

"You said if we had a question we should ask, so, I wanted to know..."

He sighed, already annoyed with her forwardness.

She kept the smile, "Well, I was wondering how you and Sasuke know each other, and whether or not either of you have a girl friend." I slap my hand to my forehead in an exasperated, making half the class look at me.

Honestly, Yamanaka clansmen were supposed to be smart and intuitive. Couldn't she see past their devilish good looks to see that they were just that; Devils?

I receive a raised eyebrow from Neji and decide it's a good time to give an excuse for my face-palm and save myself.

"Ino, why would you even want to know this prick's name?" I say, gesturing to Sasuke, leaving out Itachi. I really didn't want to be on his bad side.

She 'hmph'ed and snapped, "I was just being friendly!" back at me, and I hear Karin in the back, "A little overly friendly if you ask me, skank." she drones out sarcastically and I hear Sakura laugh.

They are about to start arguing, but Itachi speaks. "It seems to me that we can't get along." He said offhandedly, obviously growing tired of excited teenagers. "From now on, please refrain from speaking to me, as I really don't feel like refereeing a girl fight." but he looks to me and Sasuke again.

Did he just call us girls?

Judging by Sasuke's glare, I'd say yes.

He speaks to the class once more, "I will be out just across the hall, if any of you destroy my classroom, you will clean it as well as another classroom." And with that, he walked out.

Chatter erupted almost instantly as the door shut, kids getting up to sit in groups with their friends. I gave Gaara a pointed look to stay put, not wanting the Uchiha to know of any of my ties since it was possible that he was aware of my ANBU status. If I showed any exceeding familiarity with Gaara or Sakura, I would be giving them away too.

Then I remembered the pictures. Oh god, he already knew.

I slowly turn my head and sure enough, his mirthful eyes are flickering back and forth between Gaara and I, then he glances to Sakura, his eyes widening in abrupt recognition, as if he _just _remembered their features.

He met my eyes and I glared, our little exchange going unnoticed by all but us.

"So, Naruto, huh? That's a rather Japanese name for some one so blonde haired and blue eyed, isn't it?"

"So is Hebi, it almost sounds too stupid to be legit, don't you think?"

Proverbial lighting clashed between us, leaving Suigetsu to awkwardly lean back and laugh to avoid being electrocuted by the tension.

"Eh heh," He breathed, nudging me to lighten the mood, "told you he was icy..."

I plaster on my obnoxiously fake grin, "Oh tell me about it, his bastardly-ness puts Gaara to shame!"

He barely hides his glare, "Oh? You and Gaara are close? I bet you go way back." and I want to wipe that threatening smirk off his face.

I speak so low that I'm sure he had to read my lips.

"I'm sure we don't go as far back as you and Karasu-Sensei..." And there is a certain chilliness to our insults, secretly threatening to completely expose one another. I of course could have easily said 'Yeah, Gaara and I met at a carnival when we were seven.' and he would have no way of proving otherwise, but I prefered to throw him under the bus as well.

If he was gonna try and put _me _out there, I wasn't gonna hesitate to do the same to him.

Suigetsu glances back and forth between us with narrowed eyes and we quickly correct ourselves, and Sasuke moves to set me up first.

"And what would you mean by that, Dobe?"

"I only mean that it seems as though you and Mr. Karasu seem familiar, considering his lack of student-teacher formalities he used when addressing you."

He smirked, "I could say the same for my comment about your relation to Gaara-san."

"Oh really? Because you have never seen us interact with one another." Ha, now you're trapped. I got you, you stupi-

"Oh, but I have heard many a story about you two from Suigetsu, here." Damn.

I shouldv'e known an smart-ass like him would be good at arguing. It was both good and bad that either one of us could lie about our back story. Good, because if someone over heard, we could easily make something up and they wouldn't know it to be false. It was bad too, though, because in the end, the only thing that mattered (to whoever we were hiding from) was who's lies were more believable.

Our reasons for hiding from everyone didn't weigh in either. It didn't change anything if my hiding was for a mission, it didn't matter that his was because he was an Uchiha.

We glare, his accompanied by a smirk since I had no proper comeback. Sure, my previous smart-assed remarks had pretty much botched my 'dumb-jock' act, but it would have been pointless in front of Sasuke, since he was probably more than aware of the fact that it was an act. Besides, the only other person to see our exchange was Suigetsu... And Neji.

Fuck.

Well, if I went down, I was taking Uchiha with me.

Seeming to feel Neji's amused smirk aimed at his back, Sasuke turns to face him, clearly annoyed. I watched as Hyuuga quirked an eyebrow with his smirk and I had to smother a giggle as Sasuke bristled like a cat. I saw the raven's onyx eye twitch, probably with the overwhelming desire to unleash his own creepy eyes to combat Neji's. It was really entertaining, watching two legendary ocular clansmen interact, one thinking he was superior, one knowing he was superior but unable to prove it without revealing himself and his brother.

I let my laugh spill out when Neji let his smirk grow arrogant after receiving no challenge from the secret Uchiha. The Hyuuga had no idea, but he was messing with fire (literally) and there was no one who could help him from getting burned besides me.

And like hell I was going to do that.

Gaara was just going to have to learn to deal with having a disfigured lover.

Sasuke's head snapped over to me, forgetting his glaring contest to give me a strange look. I tried to stop the chuckles spilling from my throat, but my efforts were fruitless. The Uchiha's eyebrows were furrowed slightly and he had the tiniest frown pulling at his lips as he glared at my face, my smiling lips, my heaving chest. It seemed as though he had never heard a laugh before. That, or he had never been laughed at himself.

Then, the frown was gone, and it was just his eyebrows and a funny expre-

Oh god, I knew that look...

I used to give Sakura that look when _she_ laughed.

His version of _'The Look' _ was rather constipated-looking, as if he were utterly lost with his reaction, and despite the situation, I laughed again.

His eyes lidded and he just looked at me, frowning. It was almost cute, if you ignored the fact that he was a sadistic evil bastard.

His frown grows, "What are you laughing at, Dobe?" It's becoming apparent that he got grouchy when he was frustrated or confused, but that didn't excuse him being a douche.

I growl, no longer laughing or caught up in his 'dreamy' expression, "Stop fucking calling me that, teme."(1) Damn, running out of vulgarities.

He rolls his eyes, "Really? That's all you've got? '_You_'?" Yes...

"Being you, in particular, is a much crueler thing to be called than any other name I can think of." He did the cat thing again and it made me happy to think I could get under his skin.

"Are you implying that my name should be considered an insult?"

"Bingo."

Suigetsu leans forward to once again become our barrier. "Woah, guys, simmer down." and Sakura, Karin and Hinata approach, curious and frowning.

"Jeez, Naruto, you're sure grumpy today!" Sakura was trying to make excuses for me, as well as my behavior. She looks to Uchiha, "Sorry Sasuke, he usually gets along with everyone."

"Hn." Ugh!

"God, you're a prick! Sakura is trying to talk with you're emo ass and you're blowing her off!"

Said girl giggled nervously, moving to pat Sasuke's arm reassuringly. "It's fine, Sasuke."

I see him tense and his eye twitches. For some reason, I know that touching him is a no-no. I assumed my knowledge on the subject came from Kyuubi, who seemed to know everything about Uchiha stuff and I went with my gut, saying, "Sakura, don't touch him." my voice a little tighter than usual.

All eyes were on me.

Well, time to bullshit. "B-because... He's... A dick-head! Yeah, he's an ass, he doesn't deserve your affection!" Oh yeah, who's the king of saving my own ass? I'm the king of saving my own ass!

I inwardly shed a dramatic joyful tear, praising my ability to lie on the spot. _'And I'd like to thank Deidara, a-and Kakashi! Oh, and Iruka and Jiraiya! They taught me everything I know! *sob*...'_

I break out of my imaginary awards ceremony when Sasuke scoffs, probably at my excuse.

Sakura's hand slowly pulls back, letting Sasuke relax as I sigh in relief. The last thing I needed was him blowing a fuse and pulling that purple fire shit he did in my dream.

I wonder if that's actually something he can do... I frown.

I'll have to ask him some time when we're not surrounded by people we're hiding from...

I-I mean, when... after I kick his ass! Who would wanna be alone with _this_ sexy bea-

I mean-! ...Forget it.

Karin gives Sasuke a look that tells me that she was also aware of the no-touching thing, and she yanked Sakura away, using conversation as an excuse to separate her from Sasuke.

Said bastard looks at me appreciatively and I almost slap my forehead again. I didn't do that for you, you emo fuck, I was protecting my friend from your evil!

I inwardly groan, outwardly putting my face in my hands. I see him shift from the corner of my eye, looking away with that thoughtfully dreamy expression once again. God! This situation is so fucked!

Suigetsu awkwardly tries to pull everything back to normalcy, turning to Sasuke.

"So, I take it first period didn't go too well?" Sasuke actually frowned, as if _that _was the reason he was being a dick. Ha, you can only be that annoying by nature. I would know.

He looked at Suigetsu, then looked down in deep thought. His hand went to his collar and snaked under the fabric to grip his shoulder, a stoic mask spreading across his features.

Suigetsu, like me, didn't seem to understand the gesture at first, but then his face morphed into that 'oh!' expression, leaving me to be the only one in unawareness. Sasuke angrily pulled his hand out of his shirt when he saw me staring, but he was better off leaving it. As soon as his hand pulled away, I saw part of a familiar mark that marred his skin, but a part was all I needed.

It was just like Anko's mark on _her _neck, and I quickly realized the reason why Sasuke was on the run(besides being an Uchiha).

He was one of Orochimaru's goons! That bastard probably took advantage of the chaos and ran away when Orochimaru's apprentice took off!

I honestly couldn't blame him though, I'd have hauled ass out of that place the first chance I could get. What I couldn't understand was why he went to Orochimaru in the first place...

I mean, I fell pray to Kyuubi's seductive power quite a few times, but I doubt that Orochimaru's power was anything like that. I stare at him a little longer, ignoring his glare, trying to fathom what it was like being one of Orochimaru's lackeys. Hell, if the _apprentice_ skipped town then it had to be bad, because usually the apprentice was the right-hand man, put on a pedestal. I could only imagine how shitty life as that snake bastard's goon would be...

I kinda felt bad for the guy, but he brought it upon himself. I heard around other countries that the only person Orochimaru ever truly _sought out_ had been his apprentice, meaning Sasuke had asked for it.

Anko had been the apprentice once, but she didn't talk about it very much, and I didn't have much contact with her in the first place.

But I know for a fact that she had the same curse mark.

There was something else about it, though, that was tugging at my brain.

I fingered the blue crystal through my shirt, trying to remember where else I had seen the mark, but coming up short.

I sighed, oh well, if I couldn't remember then it probably wasn't that importa-

HOLY SHIT! It looked just like the funny apostrophe things all over my seal!

Oh my god. Oh my god. OHMYGOD. Orochimaru snuck his creepy pedo-self into my room and bit me and tainted my pure not-so-innocent body with his sick snake-venom and now I'm gonna die and come back as a zombie and turn into a dragon-monster and be a heartless prick just like Sasuke and-

"Dobe, what the hell is wrong with you?" I break out of my thoughts and look at Sasuke, my eyes still wide from the panic-attack.

"Huh?"

Suigetsu gave me a funny look, "You were, uh, hyperventilating?" I look back at Sasuke and he gives me that 'You're an idiot.' look.

I scratch the back of my head nervously. "I have... asthma!" Sasuke raised a brow. "I'm better now though..."

He looked ready to say something, possibly try and throw my business out there again, but Itachi slams the door open.

I'm not sure how one actually does that, but somehow Itachi made it happen.

Silence falls over the room and I see Sasuke smirk at his brother, which is what I would assume to be an applause for Uchiha. Strangely enough, though, when Itachi caught his brother's eyes, he glared. Hard.

Sasuke's face fell emotionless, but I had a feeling that Itachi's glare caught him off-guard, otherwise I'm sure he would have just glared back.

It felt weird just _knowing _these things about Uchiha. To my knowledge, the only contact that Kyuubi had ever had with an Uchiha had been with Uchiha Madara, but for all I knew, Madara could have linked their brains together and done some spooky alien shit!

...Sometimes my over-active imagination scared me...

But Kurama was so old that he was probably going on his fortieth millennium-birthday when the Uchiha clan began, so he probably only knew this stuff cause he witnessed it start first-hand.

**...Shut up, kit.**

Ha, my over-active imagination scared Kyuubi, too.

I look to my side when I see Suigetsu laughing and shaking his head at me, "You're a weird dude, Naruto. Who just laughs at themselves?" Doesn't everyone do that?

Sasuke pulls his glare away from Itachi to remark, "He was probably talking to the voices in his head."

For a second I freeze, but then comeback with "Shut the fuck up, I'm not crazy!" when I come to my senses.

At first, I had thought he had openly spoken about the Kyuubi, confirming my suspicions that he knew I was the vessel. When I realized that the smirk wasn't his evil one, just one of amusement, I was reassured.

Sure, _Sasuke _knowing wouldn't be that big a deal, but Sasuke letting _Itachi _know would be quite awful.

The bell rings, bringing me to the sudden realization that I had yet to write out my first Japanese assignment, and I frantically searched my new backpack for my spiral, only to look up and glare at Gaara, who was currently waving it at me with his crazy smirk.

My eyes narrow. The thievery...

I look to Suigetsu for help, but he's asking for paper from Sasuke. Who is currently smirking at me.

"Need something, Dobe?"

Teme... "No, I'm fine..."

He raises his girly eyebrow. "Really? Because Karasu seems like he'd be a strict teacher. I don't think he'd go easy on you after a late assignment..." Evil, I tell you!

I grit my teeth, having to talk through them, "C-can I borrow... Can I h-have..."

"Yes? Have what, Dobe?" That smirk...

I huff, "Can I have some paper you stupid asshole?!" He laughs, thoroughly entertained.

"Why yes, of course, Dobe. All you had to do was ask." Oh, you dirty son-of-a-...

I snatch the paper and scribble, "_Hi, I'm Naruto! I like Ramen and Orange and my friends! I __hate Sasuke. He's a dick." _And run to the front of the class, slapping it on Itachi's desk.

Then I pick it back up and gently reorganize the pile, picking up the other papers that fell when he gave me a nasty glare. I heard Sasuke snicker behind me, but stop when Itachi's glare shot to him too. Heheh, take that, bastard.

I don't know what Sasuke did to annoy his brother, but he did it good. Real good.

I run Iruka's class, excited to see him after so long. It seems that we were always flipflopped, him always being here when I'm in Konoha and vice-versa. I stop myself from hugging him when I see that there are other students already in his class room and settle for sharing a grin. Gaara comes up behind me and gives a slight nod, both of us going to take a seat up front.

We cannot do so, however because as Neji and Sasuke walk in behind us, a crowd of possibly-wet school girls crowd around the front of the class, leaving us trapped up front.

Neji walks past, purposely bumping shoulders with Sasuke and I hold my breath as he walks up to Gaara and I. Sasuke glares at him, calmly walking up behind Neji, most likely about to snap his neck, when Neji has the nerve to turn slightly, giving Sasuke the 'talk to the hand' gesture.

"I'm trying to have a conversation, if you don't mind." And I gape. Sasuke gapes. Gaara doesn't see the big deal.

He, of course, doesn't know that Sasuke is an Uchiha, so that's only natural, but still!

I watch, waiting for Sasuke to screw up and give himself away, but he only closes his eyes. I laugh and he snaps them open, but lucky for me they were still black and not like the crazy pattern in my dream with all the designs.

Neji turns back, whipping his hair in Sasuke's face as he speaks, "Gaara, right? My room-mate here talks about you all the time," and I when I see Gaara glare, I quickly flee the scene.

Oddly enough, Sasuke follows me, seating himself in the desk to my right like last class, this time no Suigetsu-barrier.

"Hyuuga is your room-mate?"

"You guys hate Hyuuga kids?"

We glare at each other before he replies with, "Hn." I laugh, this guy was just too much.

It was almost endearing how much of a crabby jerk he was. Almost.

"Well, I personally think that you, Neji and Gaara should all be in a brooding club. Karasu-sensei could be president." He smirks, then frowns.

"I want nothing to do with Hyuuga." Jeez, I was joking...

"Gah, you're so annoying." He looks at me and glares.

"_I'm _annoying? Are you serious, Dobe?"

I snort, "Yeah I'm serious! I'm trying to be nice and converse with your lonely-lookin' ass!"

AKA, I'm trying to get information about you!

His scoff seemed to say that he read my thoughts, "Right, sure."

I hear Iruka clear his throat, looking at me with the 'mom' look. I sure felt sorry for his daughter Miko, I'm sure she's received more than enough 'mom' looks in her short lifetime.

I look around awkwardly, noticing everyone in their seats, looking at us. When had the bell rang?

Iruka rolls his eyes at the puppy-dog face I give him, "Okay, now that I have _everyone's _attention, I am Mr. Umino! Welcome to creative writing! In my curriculum plan, there will be a lot of projects this year, so you'd better buddy up!" I swear if Neji steals Gaara... "Also! This is a very open classroom, and you will be required to share many of your writings! You will need a small binder and a thick spiral with dividers for this class, and a colorful imagination."

I grin, unable to help myself. Iruka always had a way with making people smile. The guy was such a freaking teddy-bear, no wonder Kakashi was so head over heals!

Iruka smiles, lighting up the room with his own excitement about the class, "Now, you all know how the first day works. I'm going to pair you up and I want you to fill out an 'About Me' sheet." God, am I tired of generic questions about myself! I can only hope Iruka decided to be creative with his sheet.

I listened to the rest of his instructions, not wanting to screw up what would probably be my favorite class. "Then, I want you to guess your partner's answers on another sheet based on what you know of them. When you are done, I'd like you write on a piece of paper how you did and how your partner did, and everyone, please be honest."

He gave a warm smile, "You will entitle your paper 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'. Have fun!" And I watched as Iruka started pairing people up across the room.

"What are you so excited about, Dobe?" Ugh.

I turn to glare, "None of your bees-wax, teme!" Man, couldn't a guy just be happy?

He snorts quietly, "'Bees-wax'?"

I clench my teeth, "Jeez, you sure like to suck the joy out of the room, don't you?" He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Dobe."

My fists shake, "Gah! I wasn't even talking to you and you have to be a douche! You're mean for no reason!" Fuck, no wonder Kyuubi hates Uchiha!

He leans closer to growl in my face, "Your dopey grin is good enough reason to make fun of you any day, Do-" But two pieces of paper were thrust in between us.

"Aaaand, _you two _are partners. Alright, everyone begin!" I gaped. No. Fucking. Way.

I opened my mouth to protest, but quickly shut it when I got a scarier mom look. I pouted.

"You look like a child."

"Just shut up, teme. Fill out the dumb sheet."

I looked down to the survey, writing my answers as well as the responses that I figured Sasuke wrote out, glad to find that Iruka's questions were random and fun. I felt my mischievous streak coming and I couldn't help myself with a few questions on Sasuke's. Heh heh, Iruka didn't say I had to be nice...

Oh yeah, this is my favorite class.

**Sasuke**

I was suddenly not so sure that finding Naruto was such a good thing anymore.

When I realized he was the blonde from the picture, I had been maniacally cackling in my head. This mysterious boy had intrigued me and I wanted to peel him apart, layer by layer, figure out all of his secrets. I wanted to know why he had teleportation kunai, why his house was covered in seals from the Senju of Konoha if his brother was from Iwa.

I had never been so interested in something. I sure hadn't thought that I'd run into him at this school of all places. He smelled human, so he wasn't here for the same reason as the other demons in this school.

Fucking Hyuuga clan...

But with all of the kunai, he at _least _had to be affiliated with some village. But which one?

Iwa or Konoha...

And another question, were Deidara and Naruto aware of each other? If Naruto's affiliated with a village, then he _had _to be against Akatsuki, so I assume they were even keeping secrets from themselves.

And then there was his reaction to _me_. Did he know I knew his secrets, that I'd snooped around his room? Obviously. His entire body had frozen up! It seems that he knew to be scared of me, and I was slightly dissappointed at the lack of challenge. Then, his demeanor changed completely, and when he finally turned his head, he seemed to recognize me as well.

Interesting.

We checked each other out for awhile before I became bored with his lack of response, giving a simple 'Hn.' before looking to Itachi. We have a glaring contest in which he is silently teasing me about 'making new friends' and I give a pointed glance to the Yamanaka girl who had raised her hand with a flirtatious gleam in her eyes to tease him back. He grimaced but sent a questioning look to Naruto, making me turn back to see him glaring at me. "What are you looking at, Dobe?"

It had been the biggest mistake of my life, second to joining Orochimaru. As soon as he opened his mouth, the room was filled with his obnoxiously loud and angry voice. How annoying. We fought back and forth and I suddenly felt myself getting angry as well. No one had ever tried talking to me like this, no one ever insulted me outright. I felt myself snap, slowly rising, wanting to go into a full form and beat the shit out of this interesting little idiot, but Itachi's warning voice sent me back into my seat...

I listened half interestedly as he explained the class. Japanese was my first language, so I wasn't really worried. I watched Naruto instead, as he watched Itachi cautiously. Did he know who Itachi was? Probably. Itachi finished and the Yamanaka girl from before began shamelessly flirting, asking if he and I were taken. Naruto had slapped his forhead. This had started an entirely new fight. Ugh, it never ends... Itachi gave up and left the class entirely, probably going to hang out in his sensei's class.

I watched Naruto glare at Suigetsu's room-mate, then watched as said room-mate sat back in his seat, facing forward. What kind of-

Suddenly, a strange flashback to the pictures in Naruto's room pops into my head, making me realize why I felt a certain familiarity with Sakura. All three from the pictures were here. They were all in on something, I bet, and my mission to peel Naruto apart just got more interesting.

We get caught up in a game of trying to reveal one another, catch the other's lie and figuring out just how much we knew about each other. It was suddenly uncomfortable with how much Naruto had known about me as well, as if he had also snuck into _my_ room.

I felt Hyuuga eyes on me and I swear it ignited a fury beyond all comprehension. I was having second thoughts about hating the female, but I was deifinately going to kill this Neji by the end of the day.

Suddenly, this strange melodious sound flowed into my ears and my head snaps to the side to find the source. When I find that it's the idiot, my stomach gives an awkward flip and I damn myself for skipping breakfast. I glare but he laughs anyways. I liked his smile, and for the first time today, I realized his cheeks were whisker-less. I ignore Hyuuga in favor of watching him laugh some more, then glare when I realize he's laughing at _me_. "What are you laughing at, Dobe?"

And he chokes, sputtering, "Stop fucking calling me that, Teme!" We start our third arument in less than an hour. I've never met someone so frustrating in my life. It was almost exhilarating.

Suigetsu comes between us, stopping our fight and Sakura makes her way over with Karin, trying to reassure me that Naruto was usually easy to get along with, but I give her the usual 'hn.', apparently offending the 'grumpy' blonde.

"God, you're a prick! Sakura is trying to talk with you're emo ass and you're blowing her off!" I am not emo...

Before I can get angry, though, Sakura places a hand on my shoulder. I can't understand what she's saying, all I am focused on is her hand on me. I wanted to break her arm, set it on fire or something. It was literally disturbing me to the point that I was becoming physically uncomfortable. You don't just _touch _someone you aren't familiar with! At least, Uchiha don't.

And you most certainly do not touch Uchiha without them touching you first! And I touch no one!

I was about to snap when I hear, "Sakura, don't touch him." Everyone acquainted in our group look at the blonde, even the Hyuuga who had been engrossed in conversation with his cousin and a few human females. I also see jade orbs looking back at us suspiciously.

Naruto's face shows a very brief panic before he comes up with an excuse for his strained tone of voice. "B-because... He's... A dick-head! Yeah, he's an ass, he doesn't deserve your affection!" Nice save.

I roll my eyes and scoff at him, watching as Karin pulls Sakura away from me to prevent further physical contact. I hope Karin tells her I'm allergic to skin. That would keep her paws off of me...

I give a grateful look to Naruto. I don't know how he knew, but he did. Though his knowledge of me was unsettling(considering we had never met each other), I still appreciated that he used said knowledge in my favor.

But when I see him bury his face in his hands, I begin to doubt that my well-being was in his initial interest.

Noticing the tense and quiet air about us, Suigetsu tries for conversation. "So I take it first period didn't go too well?" I was about to just shrug a reply when I remembered the strange vibes I got from Mitarashi. My hand went to the curse mark in thought and I glanced at Suigetsu to send him the message. After a good ten seconds of a blank, stupid-looking stare, my action's meaning had finally dawned on him.

I almost roll my eyes but I catch Naruto staring at me as well and I rip my hand from the mark, fixing my collar as I look away, glaring. It's silent for a bit, but I hear a strange wheezing sound and turn to look around the room to find the source.

My gaze stops on Naruto, who's eyes were wide, staring at his hands unseeing as his chest heaved out the sound I was looking for. As his condition seemed to get worse, I nudged Suigetsu. We watched for a good while, but when I thought he was going to spontaneously combust I said something. "Dobe, what the hell is wrong with you?"

He looked up, broken out of whatever epileptic trance he had been experiencing. "Huh?"

Suigetsu sat back and grinned at him, amused. "You were, uh, hyperventilating?"

His eyes bounced around the room as he came up with something to say, "I... have asthma!" Really, Dobe? "I'm better now though..." I'm about to open my mouth to call him an idiot, but the door swings open loudly, choking the room into silence.

I make eye contact with him and he glares at me. Truly glares. I hadn't received one of those glares since the massacre. I let my mask take my face as I think of what I could have possibly done to offend him but come up short. I hadn't done anything to deserve his anger.

I hear Suigetsu teasing Naruto about his spontaneous laughter and can't help but throw in my own two sense.

"Shut the fuck up, I'm not crazy!" Ha, Dobe.

The bell rings and Itachi's glare reminds me that I had yet to write his assignment, and with his current attitude towards me, I didn't see him giving me special treatment. If anything, he was going to be harder on me. I quickly wrote up the assignment, not really thinking too much on introducing myself to my own brother but making sure to have perfect grammar so he couldn't nitpick.

I hand Suigetsu a piece of paper, inwardly cackling like a villain when I see Naruto looking longingly to my backpack.

"Need something, Dobe?"

He grits his teeth, "No, I'm fine..." Ha.

"Really? Because Karasu seems like he'd be a strict teacher. I don't think he'd go easy on you after a late assignment..." I'm gonna make him beg...

He talks through a clenched jaw, "C-can I borrow... Can I h-have..."

"Yes? Have what, Dobe?" I had to fight a full on grin.

He huff, "Can I have some paper you stupid asshole?!" This is just too much fun.

"Why yes, of course, Dobe. All you had to do was ask." I sing-song. Well, as well as I could, because my voice was a bit too deep to sing-song or anything of the sort.

I hand him the paper and he snatches it from my hands, carelessly scribbling random Hiragana. I watch as he runs up to Itachi's desk and slams his paper on the growing stack, making the top papers fly all over the desk. I hid my laugh as Naruto frantically tried fix his mistake, but I soon faced an equal glare as Naruto walked off to the next class. I gazed back, holding in any confused emotions as I tried to hold his eyes.

I couldn't do it. His eyes held a strange chemical fury, it reminded me of a lion staring me down for his territory, yet I had crossed no boundaries. It had been a long time since I had been around Itachi, so I really couldn't say where exactly those boundaries were. I jerked my head away and stomped to class.

Only to be stopped by Hyuuga Neji and a crowd of screaming females. I feel the Hyuuga bump his shoulder with me, approaching Naruto and Gaara. I try to stop the steam from blowing out of my ears as I stomp up to him. Before I can gouge his stupid white eyes out, he has the audacity to blow me off. I felt the anger fuel into my curse mark and I have to close my eyes to calm down and force the rage down, feeling my eye twitch as he ignores me to flirt with Suigetsu's room-mate.

Then, a flash of blonde runs by to seat himself. I find myself following and before I know it, we're causing yet another scene. This one is broken up by a different teacher, glaring mostly at Naruto. Finally, he gets the short end of the stick.

Now, after being paired with Naruto for one of those 'about me's, here I am, filling out a stupid questionare.

I smirk at a few of my answers for Naruto's sheet, having a bit of fun with the assignment. I finished a little sooner than Naruto, who finished his paper just before the lunch bell.

"We will trade answers after you come back from lunch."

Indeed we will.

**Itachi**

Are you fucking kidding me.

Every class so far had been fine, I suppose I could understand the students excitement at coming back to school after summer.

But I could only understand, not relate.

What I had seen of Japanese students was quite opposite of this, though I should have assumed such considering the cultural differences.

Even so, there was no excuse for the volume in which the children desired to speak. And then there was _second period_. I had always assumed Sasuke to be the calm and collected type, like myself, but apparently this _Naruto _had been too much to handle. And let's not forget miss 'Do you have a girlfriend?'. Whatever, I'm not listening to teenagers fighting all class and there is only so much blonde I can take.

That is why I am currently making my way across the hall, so I can 'see how Madara is doing'. In all reality, I just wanted to see him and get away from Sasuke's bickering, but like hell I was going to just say that.

The sight that greets me is quite hilarious.

It's obvious that Sensei has not taken to his second period either, but I couldn't blame him because that particular group of students was kind of boring. It was an advanced placement class that had done all of the reading assignments over summer. Strangely, there were only about five students left in the classroom. When I asked a student where his classmates were, he shrugged and let out a 'troublesome', before explaining that they had all gone hall wandering or to another one of their classes to overachieve before he promptly smacked his head back onto the table and fell asleep.

Just like my sensei was currently doing.

Madara's position was very similar to the 'troublesome' boy's. He had his head laying on his folded hands atop his desk where a badly bruised hand held a sucker in his mouth-

Wait, badly bruised hand?

I poke at him to wake him up, but when it doesn't work, I slam my hand on his desk, successfully waking him _and _Mr. Troublesome, as well as making the other four remaining students in the room jump.

Madara shot up in his desk, lollipop still hanging from his mouth. _"Wha-?"_ Japanese falls from his lips and his eyes were still drowsy as he looked around the room before those eyes finally landed on me. I decided speaking Japanese was probably better because there was less of a chance that someone would eaves drop.

"Kurama, sleeping on the job?" He grimaced.

"They were just so boring. The first class had been at least talkative, and their conversations were entertaining to listen to." I nodded, looking to the board where he had wrote everything I had told him to say. Figures he would take the easy way out.

I nod to the board and he shrugged, following my line of sight. "Oh, I just didn't feel like talking to them." Ever the socialite, Sensei.

I look back to his hand, "What happened?" He shrugs once more and I glare, making him sigh.

"It's really nothing, Itachi." He was hiding something. I grab the wrist of the bruised hand and bring it closer to my face to examine it, as if I could figure out what happened by the bruise pattern. I grimaced when the cause didn't reveal itself to me and I promptly looked to Madara, who was looking back at me with a lost expression.

"Squeeze." And memories flooded back to me. I let the crushed hand go gently, backing away a bit to calm myself down. Sasuke did that?

I grit my teeth and mumble an "I'll see you at lunch." and calmly walked out of his classroom. When I opened the door to mine, the silence was so abrupt that it had my ears ringing. I didn't understand the fire burning in my chest. It had me wanting to ring Sasuke's neck, even ring Madara's neck for letting it happen. He couldn't-, Ugh, he couldn't just _do _that!

I glared straight at Sasuke, not hiding any of my rage. I'm sure he didn't understand it but I didn't care, I was mad. I suppose it would be normal to be somewhat upset, but the anger welling inside me was strangely uncontrollable and purely instinctive. It was like I was mad that Sasuke touched Madara, but I knew it was more than that. And even if Sasuke _had _just touched him, it didn't matter.

Madara is _mine_. I let the overbearing possessiveness wash over me so I could better dissect it, but it only let the feeling sink in deeper. It was like a reflex, something you couldn't really hide or hold back, and it was terrifying. It wasn't the kind of possessiveness that made you want to hide something away, it was the kind that made you want to mercilessly slaughter any who looked at what was yours.

And at this moment, my proverbial slaughtering weapon was aimed at Sasuke.

I thought of nothing besides trying to calm this aching fury, try to reason that Sasuke was not interested in Madara in any way, especially not the way I was interested in him.

Which is in every way possible. I wanted all of Madara.

When that disturbingly obsessive thought entered my head, I almost had to leave the room. This was not any way to love someone. It was disturbing, insane and down right scary how crazy I was being about this, but it was like a chemical reaction in my brain.

The love _I _have for Sensei is normal, if not acceptable, but with the bond intensifying feelings that were already there, adding new, strangely primal needs into the mix, it was quickly turning into something else.

The bell rings, bringing me out of my confused thoughts. I try not to make the students piss their pants with my glare, but can't help it when that blonde boy scatters papers all over my desk. Sasuke snickers as said boy frantically tries to fix his mistake and I glare at my brother harder than I had before.

You're not getting special treatment, foolish little brother.

He leaves and I run my hands over my face in an attempt to collect myself before the next class.

Before the first student even makes it into my room, all I can do is eagerly wait for the lunch bell.

**Madara**

Damn it...

My neck burned with Itachi's fury. Did the boy even know what he was doing? God, it was so frustrating!

I rub the mark, trying my hardest to sooth it, but the angry sensation doesn't let up until a good half-hour later when the bell rings. I sigh when the feeling gradually goes away, standing to direct the attention of the students to the board where I had written what was to be said instead of speaking it. I honestly didn't feel like having a bunch of teenagers laugh at my accent.

All it really said was that I was filling in for some 'Hatake Kakashi', and that he would be back in around two weeks. After first class, I didn't bother trying to do anything.

After I had gotten their attention, I sat back down and laid my head on the desk. My hand was still healing from Sasuke's grip and it was taking a bit of energy to make the bruising stop. I suppose I can understand why Itachi had been mad, but I didn't really expect him to be _that _mad. It excited me that he felt this way, but I knew the intensity of his feelings were because of the bond-mark.

It was working so hard to push us together, pump insane levels of hormones to get us to the point where anything could set us off so that we would fight and be forced to touch one another. It didn't matter to the mark if the touch was sensual or violent, it just needed Itachi.

I just needed Itachi.

This is what I was worried about. As if Itachi and I weren't drawn to each other enough, my possession over him had to be completed.

A new fiery sensation attacked me, but this one was mine as I thought of ripping all of the boy's clothes off and having my way, knotting my fingers in that pretty hair, sinking my teeth into that delicious skin an-

Ugh, I want it so bad! How would Itachi react if he knew what I wanted, what I needed? Surely he felt the unnameable desire to do the same to me, but if he understood it? He would probably think me (and consequently himself) to be a monster no worse than his parents who fought over Sasuke's young blood.

But I know he felt it too, that need, that burning desire. I had seen the blood-induced haze that had fogged his gaze our first day here.

The bell rang once more and I look to the schedule to see that lunchtime had finally arrived. I grab a sucker out of the stash in my drawer that Itachi had left for me. The boy was quite thoughtful when he wanted to be.

I almost smirk when I see Itachi with that endearing little scowl of his. He tries to hide it as we walk down the hallway to the teacher's lounge but I see straight through him.

I admire him as we walk to the student-prohibited room with three micro-waves, a refrigerator and two vending machines. We enter as an awkward pair to the occupants who were all conversing before we walk in, bringing along our chilly silence. It was almost funny how they reacted to the two of us, trying fruitlessly to start where they left of in whatever they had been doing at the time.

Finally, the uncomfortable feel of the situation was too much to bear for a warm, social looking man and he approached us, laughing nervously. "Hey, Karasu-san! How were your first classes?" Itachi looks at the man blankly, but I'm sure he's just trying to think of something to say. We sit down at a large table, making the still-standing man fidget nervously. Finally, placing his hand on the table to stare at them, Itachi speaks.

"... I think I hate teenagers." The teachers in the room laugh and I can't help but smirk myself. Who knew Itachi had a sense of humor? Despite the laughter in the room, Itachi remained unmoved by his semi-joke, but that was to be expected. Itachi knew how to please others very well, but had trouble enjoying himself without being completely comfortable.

Surrounded by strangers is not what you would call an Uchiha's comfort zone.

The brave speaker from before smiles, "Ah, yeah, that's what all the new teachers say." And he claps a hand down onto Itachi's back, making me pity the boy. He didn't really fancy anyone touching him other than Sasuke and I.

Iruka doesn't seem to notice his discomfort, removing his hand to turn to me, "You must be Kurosawa, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Iruka." And he sticks out his hand. Having visited America many years back, I knew to shake that hand, but it still felt odd. At my silence, he continues. "You're subbing for 'Kashi's class next door to me, how are the students?" I shrugged and he coughed into his hand awkwardly, making me have to hold back a smile. I enjoyed rubbing people the wrong way, it entertained me greatly for some reason.

Itachi sighed, annoyed with my behavior. "He's a little hard to deal with sometimes." Ha, yeah right, you know you love me, boy.

Iruka laughed it off, "Oh please, if you knew my fiance, you'd know that I go through this every day." Oh? Does your fiance want to sink his teeth into you too? If not, then I think he and I have quite a few differences...

I see Itachi give the man a look when he gets a dreamy expression about him. After someone clears their throat to grab Iruka's attention, he snaps back to reality, "Oh, sorry about that. So, how long have you and Kurosawa been in California?" Itachi mumbles back some lie and I tune out their boring conversation in favor or watching Itachi's mouth.

Honestly, the way the boy talked was so enticing. He just took over a conversation, no matter what was being talked about, taking complete control. I _really _liked that about Itachi. I continued to glue my eyes to every movement, the way he would frown and reply, unhappy with something being said, or the way his pulse throbbed and his Adam's apple twitched with every vibration of his smooth, seductive voice.

He was making me want him without even trying. I moved up to his eyes, lidded and dark as he slowly blinked in reaction to something Iruka said, before his eyes widen just enough to make his lashes flutter.

"You said Hatake Kakashi is your fiance?" It sounded bored and uninterested, but there was a slight strain in his voice that you would only notice if you truly knew Itachi.

Iruka smiled, nodding enthusiastically, unaware that he had just disturbed my mate. "Yeah, you know him?" His voice reminded me of one of the females from my first class, but his eyes held a suspicious glint at Itachi's familiarity with his fiance.

Itachi spoke monotonously, covering up his previous 'shock'. "No, I've just never heard such an interesting name before, even in Japan. It seems the people here are quite eccentric."

Iruka relaxed, smiling and giving us an exasperated look, "Oh, yeah, you can say that again."

Itachi forced a tight smile at the miniscule insult, effortlessly moving on to another subject, smothering his discomfort. I had a feeling that Itachi really _did _know a Kakashi Hatake, but I couldn't be sure as to where he knew the man from, or which world he was from.

It wasn't unheard of for people from the hidden world to go into hiding in the unhidden world, possibly to lead a different life. Hell, I did for that short time after the chamber incide-

"Is that a slushee?" I can't help but ask, almost shout, interrupting my own thoughts. A woman with spikey purple hair walked in, holding the bright red delicious wonder, jumping at the sudden sound of my voice.

She gave me an odd look and I vaguely register Itachi tensing in recognition to her voice. "Uh, yeah?"

"What flavor?" Everyone in the room claimed shocked faces, possibly at hearing my own yet to be used voice, or possibly at my obvious obsession with such a sweet icy (somewhat childish) beverage.

"Um, it's cherry?" Yeah, no, that's mine.

I'm not going to be craving demon blood _and _slushee.

I get out of my seat and take the drink from her hands, leaving her looking completely gob-smacked as I simply take a sip and go back to my seat. The entire room is tense, waiting for something to happen and after awhile, I realize why.

The young woman was shaking with rage, her brows furrowed to her nose, her mouth drawn up in a vile sneer, her face turning multiple shades of red. No wonder they were tense, this one must have quite the temper. I look at her with a raised eyebrow, waiting to see if she would challenge me for the tasty drink, taking long slow slurps.

Hmm, that's a good slushee. I almost feel my cravings fuse together and I vaguely ponder on the thought of making sweet things into a coping mechanism for my intense bouts of bloodlust. All while this thought process is taking place, the woman is slowly approaching her breaking point, almost foaming out the mouth as she watches me suck down her drink.

Just as she opens her mouth, Iruka comes between us and I have to lean forward and look around him to see her entertaining fit.

"Anko, calm down. I can get you another one, I can even get you dango, just don't break anything! Look, the vending machine has Snowballs! You love Snowballs!" At this, her fury faltered and she relaxed her shoulders, taking long, deep breaths with Iruka.

"Yeah, I do love Snowballs..." He sighs in relief, placing two silver coins in her hand and directing her to the snack machine. As she leaves, mournfully munching on her Snowball, glaring at me, the tension in the room falls, and everyone, even Itachi, lets out a sigh.

Iruka turned to me, "Kurosawa-san, Karasu-san, you probably don't know this, but she's not the sanest of people, so it's best to keep her happy. For future reference, she has quite the temper." Itachi nods and smile around my straw.

I feel my mate's heated gaze on me, "Yes, I deal with insane people quite often, so I understand." Ah, more of your quit wit, I see. "Can I speak with you, Kurosawa?"

"No." The teachers seem to find our interaction humorous. I don't really see why, we haven't done anything, but amusement is clearly written on their faces.

After even Iruka has to hide his chuckle with his hand, Itachi gets up and grabs my arm, politely escorting me out of the room and a few feet down the hallway before he slams me against a wall.

He'd better be glad I left my slushee in the teacher's lounge...

He whisper-yells angrily in my face, "What the hell was that, Sensei?" I shiver delightfully when he corners me, ensuring no escape. I smirked at him, further fueling the fire until it pleased me with it's burn.

And burn it did.

Ignoring the fact that his mark on me was as hot and angry as ever, his temper had hit it's limit and his palm made it's stinging outline on my cheek. Luckily it was the cheek that could be hidden by my hair.

Unluckily, after he had slapped me sideways, he grabbed the front of my shirt and shoved me so hard against the wall that my head whipped back and made dizzying contact with the wall. Damn, all I had done was steal someone's drink.

I look at him, seeing the confusion, the guilt, the misunderstanding and realize that my careless behavior had only been the tip of the iceberg in driving Itachi to this point. Something had obviously been grating down on my Itachi's nerves and I was dancing on his very last one with my careless actions and he simply couldn't take anymore of the stress.

When my eyes finally refocus I glare back at him, but with the most teasing smirk I could muster, only serving to make that last nerve explode. Here it comes, the volcanic eruption, the raw need to inflict harm upon me, the unexplainable desire to tear his claws and teeth into my flesh, to make damn sure I knew who's mark was on me, and he would beat it into me if he had to. I felt it all coming from him and I shook with anticipation. Here it come-

The shrill scream of the lunch bell echoes through our heads as we stare at each other with bright red eyes, his spinning with tomoe, mine glowing without. Our chests heave slightly as reality comes back to us and our eyes fade to black. The monster in me wanted to see his eyes like mine too, because rarely did my anger ever bring me to Sharingan anymore, but to my blood. I had grown out of Sharingan before my first freeze. But Itachi didn't live the same way I did.

I see said boy swallow his anger and I can't help imagine him choking on the quantity of his rage. The scene reminded me of dropping a hot rock into a cool stream and watching as the steam rose from the surface of the water. He wanted to let it out so badly that I could feel it, he needed to let it out.

And I, the ever-caring Sensei, would be the one to take it from him, to be on the receiving end of his raw fury.

He backed away from me, his glare never leaving my cackling eyes as he gestured that I lead the way to the classrooms and I couldn't help the pleased hum that escaped my throat at the fact that he was angry enough to order me around without hesitation. The dark need inside me quivered, imagining other somewhat similar situations with less clothing.

Itachi was too busy glaring at my back as we strode down the hallway, but I was grinning that psychotic grin that only Uchiha could pull off. I could tell that Itachi was fighting not to throw his whole cover to shit and attack me, I could feel it in my bones.

As we separate and meet up with the students patiently waiting at our doors to get inside Itachi turns to me glaring. "We _will _talk later, Kurosawa." I pause at my door and turn to face him, revealing the grin on my face.

"Oh?"

He gave me a quick look to tell me I was testing his patience.

"I can't wait, Karasu-san."

**Naruto**

When I got into the classroom Sasuke was waiting. Yes, I had avoided him at lunch. I feel like he's about to start a fight about it, but some 'Oooooh's from the hallway capture his attention.

Hmm, sounds like someone's got into trouble the first day!

Sasuke looks uneasy and I'm starting to feel the same. That's where Kakashi's class room is supposed to be.

Scratch that, that's where Itachi's class room is...

I brush off the nervous feeling and sit down, picking up my papers and waving them in Sasuke's face to catch his attention.

"Hey, Bastard, pay attention. Let's get this over with." He gives me a look but picks his papers up as well, all snooty-like.

At first, they were boring questions like 'Name? Favorite color?' to which I put 'Bastard.' and 'black, like his soul.' on his sheet and he put 'Dobe.' and 'Orange. Obviously.' on mine.

Hey, no need to hate on orange.

It started getting uncomfortable when it asked siblings. I had skipped it, so as not to be an ass, but he stared straight at me, smirking, and said "One, Deida-" and I smacked my hand over his mouth, glaring and whispering 'Itachi' making him copy my previous action with wide angry eyes. After a few awkward stares we removed our hands from each other's faces, but kept our glare as we went through the rest of the survey, changing our answers to piss the other off.

When it asked eye color, I answered red with a smirk of my own. On the inside, though, I was nervous that he would know to answer the same. When he only grimaced, I thanked the heavens at the reassurance that he was unaware of my bijuu status.

It got less fun when the questions got serious, asking things like 'biggest regrets' and he said 'Not hiding your comrades as good as you should have' and I got up out of my seat so fast that it flipped onto it's back.

How dare he? The pictures were well enough hidden that Deidara never found them, and if he hadn't felt the need to snoop, then they would have remained hidden. I love my friends, I would never put them in danger! He had no right to say I didn't try to hide my secrets.

With the nastiest of sneers on my face, I gave a pointed glace to his shoulder, ready to spit the name of the snake Sannin as if it were poison on my tongue. He got out of his seat as well, knowing _exactly _what I was about to say, and we were standing face to face, glaring with all of our might, ready to choke one another.

Iruka walks over to us, "Boys, do-" but the bell rings. The class hesitantly gets ready to leave, not wanting to miss a possible fight, but we stay stuck in our angry trance for awhile. Finally, after feeling Iruka's hand on my shoulder, I break the eye-contact, stealing his backpack and reaching inside to grab a piece of paper.

I angrily scribble my cell phone number on it before shoving it to his chest.

"We need to meet up and have a long talk, got it, 'Hebi'?" This wasn't a game anymore, and I wasn't going to play like it was. If I lose, so do Sakura and Gaara. It wasn't that this mission was so important, it was that with Itachi here, the Akatsuki were involved. With Sasuke here, then Orochimaru would most likely be lurking around too.

Before, I didn't give a shit about this lame mission, if I got discovered by someone like Neji, I couldn't care less, but Uchiha bastards being here changed everything. It was lives at stake, mine and possibly everyone else's.

"Oh, I completely agree, Dobe." We glared at each other a bit longer before making to leave.

"Naruto?" Iruka calls to me, wanting to talk before I went to swim to work out all of my anger. Being around that asshole would have me buff in no time.

He gives one look back before going to his next class, and I turn to Iruka.

"You alright? Is it the mission?" I shake my head, unable to tell him. I don't know exactly what could happen if I revealed the Uchiha, so I really didn't want to risk it and end up putting my friends in danger. I wanted plenty of capable reinforcement there when I exposed the Uchiha, because my team and a few chuunin would be cutting it too close and there would be casualties.

I had to wait until at least Kakashi-sensei was here.

I paint on the famous grin, "Nah, that guy is just an asshole. I'll be fine, Iruka, don't worry about me."

He gave a hesitant nod and I waved, heading for the halls.

"Bye, Iruka-sensei! I'll be sure to visit you and Minako sometime!" He smiles and nods and I'm out the door.

I run to my next class, praying that the swim coach isn't a hard ass. Well, I'd be okay if he were the kind to make you run laps, because I really needed to blow off some steam, but I really didn't feel like getting yelled at today.

I rush into the pool area and bust open the door to the locker room, only to be knocked down by someone exiting. I look up to apologize, but come face to face with the last person I wanted to see.

Sasuke.

In a speedo.

"..."

"... Dobe."

_Later, After school_

God, that was a weird class.

Apparently we didn't start the actual swimming until two weeks in, after everyone's schedule was adjusted. They wanted to make sure that they had the right amount of swimsuits I guess, because the first day had consisted of people trying them on. I was skeptical, so I wasn't going to do it until I was sure I had to.

Why did you have to _try on _a speedo? Sakura had forced me into one before, so I knew there wasn't much to size difference, they were rather stretchy. We later found out that one of the seniors on the team had posed as the coach and decided to play a prank, almost like a haze, so we spent the rest of the day hanging out in the pool, or in Sasuke's case, brooding. Apparently, in swim _class_, trunks were just fine.

Ha, stupid bastard fell for some douche-bag's trick...

I don't really know why he was upset, though, he had a hot body so there was really nothing to be ashamed of. Hell, I would've been fine with a speedo if it had truly been mandatory, I have quite the sexy bod too. I was beginning to think that it wasn't even about practically walking around in his undies, that it was more about someone fooling him, because he seemed to be pouting.

I was about to give in and go talk to the bastard, but the coach called us back into the locker room to change.

Everyone stood at the door fully dressed, waiting for the last bell to ring. When it finally did, Sasuke backed away from the exit, face muscles looking uncomfortably tight, but his expression was otherwise unreadable. I chalked it up to be the 'no touchy' thing again, but he held his hand on his shoulder and stared at the ground until most of the students left.

Maybe that's what he was so pissy about. They made him take his shirt off and people must have seen that stupid curse mark. He was probably self-conscious. I would be too, if I had that snake-bastard's bitch mark on me.

I watch his retreating back with a grimace, texting Gaara and Sakura, telling them to meet me.

I need to talk to them, and the safest place to talk was Sakura's dorm. Luckily, I find my way inside the girl's hallway in C dorms without getting caught. Aw yeah, I got skills. I pick the lock of Sakura's dorm door and sneak into the dorm, being as stealthy as possible in case someone was already inside. I doubted it, because I had made it here _just _after the bell, bu it never hurt to be careful.

I tip-toe inside, scanning the rooms for occupants, but I find no one in sight.

Damn, they had it _made_.

The place was like an apartment, it was ridiculous.

I tense when I here the door handle turning, but fortunately it's just Sakura.

She smiles, "You wanted to talk?"

I nod, "Yeah, but let's wait for-"

"I'm here." Sometimes that sand is just too quiet... Sure, my flash was silent, but his sand _crept. _That made it spooky, and spooky wasn't really my thing. It was more Kurama's taste.

**Shut up, kit.**

_Damn, I thought this necklace shut you up._

**Only for so long, kit. It took some getting used to, but your favorite demon fox is back.**

_Fuck my life..._

Sakura starts talking about her first day, Gaara humming or nodding every now and again, Sakura teasing him about Neji chatting him up.

"How did you hear about that?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

Sakura giggled, "I have last period with him. He was talking to Hinata about how it was fate that you had two classes together on the first day." Gaara looked ready to say something but paused and looked at me.

"Speaking of those two classes..." And Sakura seemed to remember that I had called them here.

"Wait, Gaara, you had two classes with Naruto today, too?! I'm so isolated!"

He gave her a pointed look that told her she had missed his point. "Sasuke shared that third period as well. He and Naruto spent that entire class arguing, just like second period." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, Naruto, what was wrong with you! Sasuke didn't even say any-"

"What's going on, Naruto." Gaara's voice was grave, making Sakura confused.

"Uh, weren't they just arguing?" Gaara's eyes never left me. He knew me better than Sakura.

He spoke quietly to our female friend, "You didn't see him, Sakura. Before Hebi even sat down he was practically having a stroke." She looked at me.

I sighed, aggravated. "Stop talking about me like I'm not here, Gaara."

I run my hand through my hair and Sakura looks to me confused. "Naruto, what's going on-"

The door opens and Gaara fades into sand, disappearing. I flash away before I can see who entered and I smash my hand on my bed when I flash into my room.

God damn it! If Sakura hadn't kept running her freaking mouth about school-shit!

I pull out my phone angrily, typing '_We need to have a designated meeting place. And as for I what wanted to tell you guys; Keep away from Sasuke, as well as Karasu. I can't explain right now, but I will._'

I slide my phone closed and collapse onto my bed, throwing my arm over my eyes.

What a fucking day.

I had expected this to be easy, if not fun. We were practically playing school for crying out loud! This is too much, even for me, _especially _for me, according to Kyuubi. I knew for a fact that there was something about Uchiha that Kurama was holding back, but I didn't have to read the fox's mind to know that they were dangerous. There was something about Sasuke, though.

I don't know if it was the fact that I had dreamed about him or something else, but it was definitely unsettling. I needed to get answers out of Kyuubi, but it was like he was _waiting _for something, like he wanted something bad to happen before he'd tell me how to prevent it.

My phone vibrates against my palm and I open the text, expecting Sakura, but it's a number I'm not familiar with.

But I didn't need to be.

_'Hello, Dobe.'_

**Madara**

I walked down to our apartment-home by myself, my eyes scanning my surroundings, waiting for Itachi's surprise attack. I was completely pumped, almost giddy to the point that I was shaking. I knew he wasn't out here, but I almost wanted him to be, I didn't want to wait. As much as he smothered his anger, I had smothered my anticipation of the future fight.

These encounters always had a way of getting me going, in more ways than one.

According to one of his last period students, Itachi had said he had somewhere to go ten minutes before the last bell, that he had an important errand to run.

As I unlock the door to our apartment, I begin to wonder if it had anything to do with that Akatsuki. It seems he was very secretive about it.

I open the door and walk in, jumping as it shuts behind me and all I have time to do is hit the floor as Itachi ambushes me from behind.

I twist around, my back scraping against the floor, my shirt having rode up. Itachi's fist smashes against my already sore face so hard that it knocks me back in the other direction, back unto my stomach. I throw my elbow back hearing a crack in his ribs and an angry hiss. I laugh breathlessly and he retaliates by ruthlessly knotting his hand in my messy locks, shoving my face into the ground and twisting my arm behind me painfully. He jerks the hand in my hair, steering my head to the side, making me groan and roll my eyes back.

"What do you think you're doing, Sensei?" I smile, holding back my cackles.

"I could ask you the same, boy- AH!" He jerks my hair and my arm up hard and I growl. I was on my knees now, and I grit my teeth, holding back a roar when he leans over my back. My mind flashed back to the chamber and the heat that had been spreading through me stopped for a bit. He was ranting at me about controlling myself, but I couldn't hear what he was saying.

I remained unphased as I feel something pop, the spine tingling pain not fully registering. He was still yelling, jerking my hair in ways that I would have found painful yet arousing, but I felt nothing. I couldn't even really see anything, just Senju and the walls of the chamber. I could only feel the pain _he _brought me. I knew I wasn't there, in the chamber, but it's all I saw and felt.

I was in my own world, lost in horrific memories of the last time I was bent over in this situa-

"Sensei..."

I don't know when, but he had let go of my arm and hair. I was still on my knees but my arms lay limp at my side and my chest and face were pressed to the floor as I stare into space, amazed at how sucked in to that memory I had been.

Itachi was looking at me with soft, sorry eyes now. I meet those eyes, mine lost, and I twist onto my back and swing to hit him, trying to bring the fight back. I don't want to be lost in old tragedies, I want to be lost in Itachi, in our battle, in our contact.

He blocks it with his arm and I throw my weight to get him off of me. When his back hits the floor, I move quickly and throw my leg over his waist, straddling him, preparing to swing once more with my good arm. I know I must have seemed desperate to keep the fight going, but it was all I could think to do to feel better.

Itachi grabs my wrist before my fist can make impact with his face and pulls me down, his own body lifting to meet me half way as he brings our mouths together in a harsh, suffocating kiss.

I tense, inhaling through my nose in shock, not willing to reciprocate as he moves his lips against my unresponsive ones. My eyes were already closed for some reason and I couldn't help but keep still as the kiss slowed, Itachi losing his fire at my lack of similar enthusiasm. He pulls away almost nervously and I feel him staring at my confused face. I open my eyes slowly, looking at him.

Itachi seemed as though he was waiting to see what I'd say, how I'd react, but I honestly had no idea how to. I was still tense, still thinking about the chamber, still unsure how I was supposed to act.

Suddenly, I felt a pulse of warmth from Itachi, or his mark on me, and I feel myself begin to relax, the pleasing feelings from the boy working wonders upon me in my locked up state.

This isn't Senju, this isn't the chamber. This was Itachi, my charge, my boy, my bond-mate. I want Itachi. Senju is long dead, buried in the past.

Ever so slowly, I lean forward, my eyes sliding shut as I press our lips back together, and from there, everything spiraled out of control.

We were a mess of groping hands and panting mouths as he flipped us back over, running his hands up my sides until he was pushing my arms up above my head, gripping my wrists. I fought, naturally, wanting my painfully throbbing arm out of such an uncomfortable position, but he only growled, pushing against me in a way that allowed no defiance. I groaned and eagerly submitted, arching into him instinctively.

That darker side of me was simply delighted, having finally found that side of Itachi, or perhaps it was that darkness within me that awakened him in the first place. I couldn't find it in myself to care at the moment, though.

He paused for a bit and I froze, damning myself for giving in so easily. However, before I could regret my actions too much, he resumes with fervor, grinding into me. I lift my hips to meet his and he bites at my lips, begging me to part them. I give my permission and my lids flutter as my eyes roll back, savoring the taste of Itachi. I coax the boy's tongue into my mouth, allowing full dominance to which he eagerly obliges. Oh God... The boy had quite the talented mouth...

His skillful tongue explored relentlessly and I couldn't help but take it in, sucking teasingly every now and then. I wanted him so bad right now...

Suddenly, he sits up, making me growl in frustration. Are you serious?! Stupid boy, how could he jus-

"Nngh.." is all I can muster as he grinds his hips into me hard. He was just watching me now. I must have been quite the sight, so I honestly couldn't blame him. Here I am, on my back with my hands pinned above my head with my sadistic bond-mate positioned between my spread legs. I must have looked like some kind of cheap whore, or slutty fan-girl.

But that sort of position only seemed to turn Itachi-kun on.

He licked his lips, trailing his free hand slowly and lightly down my neck, my chest, my slightly exposed stomach, only to bypass the growing bulge in my pants. I throw my head back and growl, trying to arch into his hand.

Sadistic indeed, but I must say I kind of enjoyed this special torture, as it greatly appealed to _that_ side of me for some unexplainable reason. His hand ventured back up my body, this time purposely gliding over the mark before the hand knotted itself in my hair as Itachi jerked my head up to meet his in a hungry kiss.

I smile into it, groaning at the intensity, ignoring the sharp pain in my shoulder. He pulls me against his upright form, nibbling lightly at my lips, still holding my arms behind me like I'm some kind of prisoner.

I shiver at the thought. Itachi's prisoner...

Just as I think I'm about to pass out from lack of oxygen, there's a knock at the door.

Itachi frustrated groan vibrates against my lips and he lifts to pull away, laying me down. Quickly, I sit up and grab his shirt with my good hand, dragging him down a bit to press my lips to his a few more times. It was just so good, I couldn't help but want more. He paused in going to answer the door, responding eagerly to me, but the knocks only got louder.

Itachi sighed against my mouth, his hands cradling my face and looking into my lidded eyes with apology. I was left on the floor, one arm dead at my side, as Itachi went to answer the door.

"Um, is everything alright? I heard thuds, a-and I think I heard you yelling an-"

Itachi's voice is tight, and he goes straight to the point. "Everything is fine, Umino-san. Kurosawa and I were just having an argument and it got a bit loud. I apologize, it won't happen again." And he angrily slams the door in Iruka's face before he can say anything more. Itachi, ever-honest.

I watch as the boy walks back to me holding his side. I'm pretty sure I broke one of his ribs...

He sits next to me with a sigh, and for a moment I expect an awkwardness to settle over us, but no such thing happens. It's strangely comfortable, sitting on the floor with Itachi. After awhile he shifts, moving his torso to see if he had truly broken a bone in our struggle, and he bumps my limp, throbbing arm, making me hiss.

"Your right side has taken quite the beating today." Hmm, indeed it has. My face, my hand, my arm. Fucking brat.

"By whose hand?" He looks down for a bit, almost guilty, but quickly lifts his head.

"I could pop your arm back in for you..." I nod hesitantly, not sure if it was such a good idea to bring me pain when I was still aroused. I wasn't sure I wanted the boy aware of my involuntary masochism, but if I refused his help outright then he would be suspicious.

He gets up and walks to the kitchen, coming back with a clean dishrag.

"... And what do you plan on doing with th-" and he stuffs it in my mouth, immediately sending dirty thoughts to my head. Before I can fantasize too much, Itachi is behind me, pushing my arm at an awkward angle, trying to get it back where it belongs. My eyes water and I can't stop the pained grunt that escapes my throat.

Oh, that's what the gag-rag is for.

I can be as loud as I want.

And I was. I screamed, my face heating up as Itachi none-too-gently forced my dead arm about. I think he prolonged it on purpose, wanting to listen to me make more sounds. The pain excited me and I knew my eyes were red and my teeth had elongated into the gag, _that _side of me wanting more. We were back into the position that popped my arm out in the first place and I saw Itachi smirking as he finally popped it back into place, quite easily might I add.

I knew he was a sadist...

He pulled the gag from my mouth, wiping a string of saliva from my lip as my hazy red eyes stared at him from my vulnerable position on the floor. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" I continued to pant, unable to speak as he moved his hand between my legs from behind. "Hn, I must say it's pretty amazing that you could maintain _this-_" He emphasized with a squeeze, making my eyes shut. "-so well after all of that. It's almost as if you enjoyed yourself."

You bet I did, you sadistic little bas-

_Knock knock knock._

Itachi glared, growling, "I guess you weren't quiet enough, Sensei." He got up from his knees and I collapsed on the floor, catching my breath. God damn. I think I'm in love.

I tried to calm myself down, getting up to walk to the bathroom, rolling my shoulder. I run cold water in the sink, splashing it over my face to cool my over-heated body. Itachi is getting pretty ballsy...

I fight my arousal, waiting to hear Iruka's worried voice echo through our home as Itachi opens the door, but I hear Sasuke's instead. I stick my head out of the bathroom to listen.

"I want to speak with 'Kurosawa'." and I feel Itachi's frustration come off of him in waves. I smirk, coming out and greeting Sasuke, just to piss Itachi off.

"You needed me?" He nodded and I see my mate glaring at his brother. We stand there awkwardly, the night showing through the windows, making all of us look darker than normal.

I sigh and turn to Itachi, "Go get me a slushee, boy." He glares but I mirror his look, completely serious. (Don't ask how I looked intimidating asking for a slushee, because I'll never tell.)

He seems to understand my desire to be alone with Sasuke, but that doesn't mean he was happy about it. Itachi glares one last time at the both of us before growling and storming out.

I see Sasuke relax as the door slams and I chuckle. "What did you want to speak with me about, child?"

Sasuke gives a pointed look to my hand, asking "How did you do that?"

I play dumb, smiling slightly, "How did I do what?" It was just too much fun to tease Sasuke. He didn't hide his temper as well as his brother, believe it or not.

Sasuke gave me a cold look, "You know what I'm talking about. How did you know what to do today?" and I sigh, my mood completely gone.

I sit down and he does the same, waiting for me to speak. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a lot like your older brother?" He's quiet, thinking a bit before he nods.

"Well, they lied to you." Sasuke looks confused, eyes squinted slightly.

I sigh once more, and prepare an explanation, slightly uncomfortable with sharing something about my bond-mate. "Itachi was always... very passive as a child. He never really went against anyone until the massacre, he just took everything that anyone could dish out. He was never as rebellious as you were."

I smirk when I see Sasuke huff, but know better than to argue.

My smirk fades as memories resurface and I can feel Sasuke watching my face. "Itachi never even blinked when someone crossed his boundaries, but I could tell it drove him crazy. I found him one night in the forest after a clan meeting, just, destroying a tree with his hands, no fire techniques or anything of the sort." I shaky sigh escaped my throat and I relaxed my face, not letting an expression reveal itself.

"He... was crying, he was angry. I stopped him when I smelled his blood, and he turned to me and explained to me what he was doing. He said he was hurting something, and no one could stop him out here."

I remember finding it funny at the time. Here was Uchiha Itachi, taking out his frustrations on a tree. It had been a laughable thought, but when his cold eyes revealed no humor, I knew the poor boy was serious. He wanted to be the one who hurt someone else for once. He wanted to take control and cross someone else's boundaries.

I relay these thoughts to Sasuke, and he looks at me in disbelief, then confusion. "But, what does that have to do with the hand thing?"

I thought it was obvious, but I explain it anyway. "I gave him my control. I told him to take my hand and squeeze it until he was satisfied with my pain, until it amounted to his. I told him not to stop until he was sure that I was hurting. That's what was wrong with you today, Sasuke." He narrows his eyes, but I continue.

"The feeling you get when someone touches you without permission is not an Uchiha thing, it's a Sasuke thing. An Itachi thing. It upsets you because it takes your control and control is something you and your brother crave. I was just giving it back to you." He stands up, angry that I was analyzing him.

"What makes you think you know anything about us-"

"I know more about you than you do, Sasuke." And it was true. He and Itachi had no idea of what dark secrets flowed through their veins. I knew so much more, and I knew how they operated.

He faultered, letting me continue, "Do you mind physical contact when _you _initiate it?" He hesitantly shook his head, looking to the side.

"That's what I thought. I'm not ever against you or Itachi, remember that." Sasuke doesn't look at me, he just leaves. As the door slams for the second time that night, I close my eyes, fighting off the migraine that decided to attack.

My eyes burned and my mouth hurt with the cravings that Itachi's little stunt brought on, making me groan and hold my face in my hands. Everything hurt, and it sure as hell wasn't the good kind of pain either. If that last 'fight' didn't awaken my secret desires then I sure as hell don't know what else would.

I wanted Itachi so bad right now, but I knew if we got down and dirty that I wouldn't be able to control myself. I needed something to hold me over, to sate the sharp pangs of need that we're searing through my being.

I needed a victim, because unless I had my fill, I would attack Itachi, and I don't want him knowing just yet. But I couldn't have just anyone's liquid life, it had to be of a certain kind.

A human wouldn't do, and it would catch too much attention.

If I chose a demon then they would have to be ridiculously powerful, and a powerful demon going missing would set off council and they were the last ones I wanted to deal with.

An immortal human was out of the question since it was hard to tell if they were from a clan or not, and immortals without a clan were blessed and far too pure.

I only knew of one immediate and long-lasting fix; the Kyuubi. That would take way too long to find, and I was pretty sure it was locked away in Konoha. I had no time for making Konoha invasion plans, so that fix would have to wait.

The only other option was a true-blue immortal. The clan immortals and the ex-human immortals could live forever young, yes, but they could also be killed. Not as easily as any human, they were usually just as strong as demons, but demons could be killed as well.

True immortals, like myself, had no capability of dying, which is why I had to be sealed. There is no forever-long promise of death for us, making it impossible for us to cease to exist.

I only knew of one true immortal that would help me out.

A sick grin stretched across my face as the door opened, revealing a stone-faced Itachi and my cherry red deliciousness. I take it from him, drinking like mad as if it would eliminate my other thirst, giving a pleased sigh at the sense of satisfaction it brought me.

Yes, I had an old friend to visit, emphasis on old. I suppose that also meant I had a trip to the hidden world to make, as I doubt I could find that bastard roaming around California...

And as soon as I got what I need, I could get what I want. Itachi.

What a night.

**Itachi**

I don't know how we got to this point, but like hell I was arguing with it.

When I first kissed Madara, I was afraid he was going to beat the shit out of me. I pulled back, watching his frozen face slowly come back to life. It was kind of sexy, his eyes opened in what looked to be slow motion and his lips were reddening still from my attack. That was our kiss; unkind and longing, hard and surprising.

But it seemed as though it was just going to be _my _kiss when he opened his and just stared at me. I'm about to sigh and back away, but he suddenly leaned forward and it was on. I felt something in me fight it's way to the surface and I flipped our positions, pushing my way between his legs and running my hands all over his delicious body, not holding back.

I pushed his arms up above his head, letting my uncontrollable need for dominance shine through. He fought, like I expected, but I wasn't having it.

Not today.

It's like that feeling inside me was an entirely new being, and that new being wanted Madara's submission. I pushed down on his arms, pinning his hands above his head, not taking no for an answer. Instead of fighting harder, he almost purred and he became putty in my hands.

How... Interesting...

I drank up every movement, every deep, pleased hum that vibrated against my lips. I press my luck, trying to coax Madara into opening his lips and he does so without argument, even inviting me in, playing along and doing rather suggestive things with his sweet mouth. I had to be dreaming, because this was like every fantasy I had ever had, awake or asleep.

Here was Uchiha Madara, arguably the most powerful demon of all time, completely submitting to me.

It was too good, too delicious to be real, so I had to see it for my self.

I sit up, leaving his mouth so I could get a good look at him.

I had to activate Sharingan once I opened my eyes, because it was one of those memories you wanted to be burned into your head.

I still had my hold on his wrists, but he seemed to like it, so I couldn't see it bothering him. I licked my lips as my eyes roamed over his prone form. There was a lust-laden glaze about his hazy red eyes as he looked at me, panting like some sort of animal in heat. With his arms above his head and his legs spread wantonly, he looked as if he were offering himself to me, and the thought had me hot all over. He growled at me seemingly frustrated, ready to protest my lack of action and ruin his perfect little image, so I ground my hips into his and smirk as he throws his head back, rolling his hips to meet mine.

I wanted to touch, so I ran my fingers from his smooth neck down his chest, lingering on the skin of his stomach where his shirt had rose up teasingly, revealing less than and inch of skin. I passed the impressive bulge in his pants, smirking at his angry reaction before running my hands back up his tempting form, making sure my fingers caressed the mark on his neck before I grabbed his hair and pulled him up to me, hungry for him again.

Sensei groaned, enjoying this type of treatment. It surprised me, I had always pegged him to be a rather dominant bed partner, but it seemed to be the other way around. Perhaps this is what stopped him when I was a child, his true desire was to be over-taken, and _that _was what always had been lost in translation. It made sense now.

I smirked into the demanding kiss, mirroring his own pleased lips. I'm ready for you now, Madara-sensei.

I pull him into my lap, making him straddle me as my arms encircle his waist, still holding his arms captive. He doesn't seem to mind the mild discomfort, disregarding any pain he felt in favor of paying me attention. That's how I liked it, though, Sensei being concerned with only me. It may seem to be the thought of a petulant child to you, but he is mine, all of his attention rightfully belongs to me.

And I eat it up.

I'm about to tear all of his damnable clothes off when I hear a knock at our door.

What. The. Fuck.

My frustrated groan tickles my lips, and probably Madara's too, as I lay my sensei down to get up and answer the door. Before I can even get up, though, he pulls me down against his lips and who am I to refuse? I kiss back, pleased that he seems to enjoy me as much as I enjoy him. He hums quietly against my lips, his grip on my shirt tightening as the incessant knocking only continues, getting louder and harder to ignore.

As I break away from Sensei, licking my lips as I walk to the door, I have to force Sharingan down. I would love to just fry this nuisance's brain, but a corpse at my doorstep would surely seem suspicious. I open the door, not bothering to hide my annoyance from Umino Iruka as he nervously tries to peer into my home.

"Um, is everything alright? I heard thuds, a-and I think I heard you yelling an-" I interrupt him, knowing full well what he heard.

"Everything is fine, Umino-san. Kurosawa and I were just having an argument and it got a bit loud. I apologize, it won't happen again." My brain currently didn't have enough blood flowing through it to formulate a decent, believable lie since all of that blood was still gathered at my groin, so I decided to tell the truth at a lowered volume before slamming the door.

I suppose I should be more careful. I had been popping Madara's arm out of socket over him attracting attention and here I was possibly bringing up 'domestic disturbance' calls from the neighbors.

I was already completely aware of how out of hand our fights could get, but in my pent up rage I had attacked any way, hoping to get rid of some of it. I suppose I had been searching for that feeling I had gotten with Sensei about a week earlier, but it had not turned out that way at all...

I look to Sensei's sitting form, cradling my side that had taken a hit from his elbow as I walk towards him and sit down.

No, it didn't turn out like that at all, but I suppose this outcome was fine too.

But there was still something I had to test, just to make sure...

After a few minutes of silence, thinking over what the hell had just happened, I reposition myself to find a better position for my sore side, but also to face him, and he makes a noise of discomfort as I accidentally nudge his misplaced arm. He doesn't move or glance at me but I could tell he knew I was staring at him, wanting his attention. When I was sure I had that attention, I spoke.

"Your right side has taken quite the beating today." I say, remembering the red outline of the print of the back of my hand that I had seen upon his cheek. First it had been his crushed hand, then my slap, my punch, and let's not forget the fact that he was currently unable to use his arm.

"By whose hand?" Mine, but Sasuke's as well. I wouldn't say it out loud, but it still left me furious that my brother had done that. Also that Madara had let him. As childish as it was, the whole 'squeeze' thing was something only he and I should share, as it had been _my _coping technique from _my _childhood.

And Madara was _mine._

"I could pop your arm back in for you..." I say, making it sound like an apology. He didn't know what I was testing, but his reluctance to agree was almost enough to prove my theory right.

That didn't mean I wasn't going to test it, though.

He watches me with narrowed eyes as I leave the room, going to the kitchen to get a dish rag from the grocery bag I had brought home a week prior. I roll up the rag and walk back into the living room where Sensei sat impatiently.

"... And what do you plan on doing with th-" I'm going to use it to keep you quiet, of course. The last thing I needed was Iruka coming back to my doorstep with the authorities after hearing screams. And that's exactly what I planned to have ring through his throat.

I placed myself at his side, somewhat behind him and I jerked his arm purposely in the wrong direction.

At first, all he does is grunt uncomfortably, then he crosses his eyes to look at the rag in his mouth, seeming to understand it's purpose quite well, because from then on, he doesn't hold back. I force his arm into all kinds of disgusting angles, watching as his eyes tear up and fade back to red as he shudders and pants, occasionally letting a hoarse moan escape his throat, only to be muffled by the rag.

He lets his head fall to the floor as I finally decide to be merciful and pop it into place. It was blatantly obvious that the man liked pain, my 'test' results turning out positive, so I didn't need to prolong what he would call 'sexual torture' any longer. Besides, I was becoming quite hard myself.

I look into his tired eyes, smirking as I pull out the gag and wipe a string of saliva from his bottom lip.

He looked appetizing as he laid in such a tempting position, on his knees with his behind in front of me, his eyes heated and needy as they stare at me with their submissive red gaze. Hell yeah it turned me on to see Sensei like this, he was practically begging for me to take him.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" He didn't fight, only watched as I rubbed my hand over the hot, impressive erection that he had kept through out the entire process, only further proving my hypothesis correct.

"Hn, I must say it's pretty amazing that you could maintain _this-_" I squeezed the clothed hardness in emphasis and he let his eyelids fall shut, humming out a sound too deep to be a whimper. "-so well after all of that. It's almost as if you enjoyed yourself." He opened his eyes and mouth to say something, panting and glaring, when another knock against the door interrupted him.

I almost scream.

"I guess you weren't quiet enough, Sensei." And I get up, watching as he collapses to the floor. I feel myself heat up even more at seeing him so undone, knowing I was the one to undo him. I was the only one allowed, the only one who _could _leave him in such a state.

And speaking of obsessively possessive instincts...

When I see Sasuke at the door I become inexplicably angry, still upset about Sasuke touching what was mine.

Well, I doubt Sasuke could take on Madara like I just had, so I suppose I shouldn't be so jealous...

"I want to speak with 'Kurosawa'." Fuck that last thought. Sasuke wanted to talk to _my _sensei? _My _bond-ma-

"You needed me?" Madara comes out of the bathroom, completely calm and collected, the very opposite of his previous attitude. Sasuke nods and I feel my eyebrows furrow in disdain. Like hell I was going to just sit by while they had their little meeti-

"Go get me a slushee, boy." Excuse me? Sensei was trying to get rid of me! I glare in defiance but he glares back twice as hard, leaving me to inwardly debate the thought that he wouldn't dominate me. I sighed, giving one last glare before I slammed the door and headed to the nearest seven-eleven, which wasn't very near at all, might I add.

I contemplated simply driving around in circles as they talked, then just coming back when I figured they were done with their conversation. I knew the 'slushee' thing was just an excuse to make me leave, that's why I didn't fight.

And because I knew Sensei could still kick my ass if he _really _wanted to.

I wasn't about to let that happen in front of Sasuke.

Even so, I walked back up to our apartment with a sweating thirty-two ounce slush in hand. I wanted to be on Madara's good side, and pleasing my mate was second nature to me.

When I walked in, he seemed to be in pain and I pondered upon the thought of Sasuke being to blame. I squashed it quickly, though. If Sensei could kick my ass over a slushee, I doubt that Sasuke would escape after actually committing a real offense against Madara.

When he lifted his head, his eyes were red again, but with a different hunger, a different lust. He snatched the drink, looking at me appreciatively and I watched him, specifically his eyes.

I had been wondering about those eyes for quite some time, but I couldn't figure out what they were.

They weren't Sharingan, as they didn't have the black tomoe spinning, not even one. I thought about them being some sort of mangekyou technique, but I had seen his mangekyou form before.

I watched curiously as his breathing calmed after a few drinks and the eyes faded back to their silvery-gray. It was like he was truly addicted to those drinks, or sweets in general.

A perverted thought invaded my mind, distracting me with images of Sensei naked, covered in things like chocolate sauce and whipped cream as he sucked on a candy stick, and any serious concerns were successfully eradicated from my train of thought.

I walked over to the couch where he was sitting and placed myself next to him, laying myself down in his lap. He hummed around the straw and stroked my face with his hand but made no other move to suggest he wanted to continue where we had left off.

I was fine with that, because I was about to start up my seduction game for real, now that I knew what he wanted.

Sensei wanted my challenge.

All throughout my childhood, I'd thought he wanted a willing, loyal charge who would ever faithfully present present himself to Madara, but in reality, Sensei wanted a fight, just like he always had in every other aspect of his life. Things came easily enough to Uchiha as it is.

But it seemed as though Madara didn't even want to win that fight.

I honestly couldn't say he wanted to be put in his place, because his place was above mine an-

_We are equals..._

A smile spreads across my face, interrupting my analytical thoughts as I realize what his talk had been about.

He had said all that so I wouldn't think of myself as below him, not because he was concerned with my self-esteem, but because he had prefered me on top of him...

"What are you smiling about, boy?" I close my eyes, lifting myself so that I could look him in the eye.

"Nothing, Madara-sama..." And I press my lips to his once more, relishing the taste of his compliance. He sighed and pressed back, but I backed away, getting up and walking to the bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind me.

The last thing I see before it shuts is him pouting slightly, glaring straight at me before my vision is obscured.

I smirk, finally throwing my evil plan into action. How hard could it be? It was obvious he wanted me, so the that part was in the bag, now all I had to do was the evil part; tease him. It would be like what I just did, start something, but stop before it went anywhere. He would come to me begging for it.

I slip into bed, nude this time, grinning for all that I was worth.

They didn't call me a sadistic bastard for nothing.

**Madara**

That boy... is trying to play me.

I glared, seeing his playfully sexy smirk in the crack just before the door closes. He had been smiling that evil, conniving smile of his in my lap, so something had to be up.

I had tried to fight my thirstier side from grabbing the tempting boy and tearing his throat out, but I let myself give in as he kissed me, unable to deny either side of myself the treat.

Oddly enough, he had stopped it before it could truly start.

I sat there, contemplating for a bit, licking my elongated teeth trying to calm my demon's thirsty need. I had to control myself, otherwise Itachi would find out. I could already tell that he was suspicious of me. I sighed, rubbing my face and heading to the bedroom after a good amount of time alone.

The sight that met me left me with mixed emotions.

One, I was quite turned on to know that Itachi was stark naked under the sheets, his clothes laying in a suggestive trail from the door to Itachi's bed side.

Two, I was extremely pissed off to figure out that he was trying to lure me into some kind of game where he seemed to think he would win me that easily.

Oh no, boy, I don't just lay on my back, you gotta have the balls to put me there.

Three, I was... excited. If the boy wanted to play games then he had a very worthy opponent, and he would figure that out real soon.

I stripped down to nothing, secret scars be damned. If Itachi wanted me, he was gonna have to want _all _of me, the good, the bad and the ugly. Though I'm not sure which part got the title of ugly, My battle scars or my acute(not-so-acute) vampirism.

Smirking, I crawl under the covers with him, pressing my chest against his back, snaking my arm over his waist to pull him snug against me. I wonder if we'll be late to class tomorrow, because I could see us waking up and getting rather... distracted whe-

No, I had to keep this game going. I couldn't lose. It was obvious that Itachi wanted to make me beg, and as alluring as the idea of me on my knees in front of Itachi was, I wasn't going to make it that easy. If I wanted to make sure the boy could handle me, why would I just give up without a fight? Where is the fun in that?

Plus I wanted to see him _really _try to 'handle' me, because liking a good chase didn't always mean you were the chaser.

No, if Itachi thought he could play Uchiha Madara, he had another thing coming.

Because Uchiha Madara is better at this game.

**Well? What'd you think?**

**Any good? I tried making it long, but I wanted it to end in a good spot, and doing another POV break would have ended it funny... In my oppinion.**

**(1) – Contrary to popular belief, 'Teme' does not mean bastard. It is actually a very informal, somewhat rude way of wording 'you', and is used by Naruto in the show as "You...", like you would see in an old cartoon or something where the character is shaking his fist at someone with narrowed eyes. I decided to twist the way it is in my story though, instead making it imply that being accused of being like Sasuke is an insult in itself.**

**And thank you all once again who reviewed! I literally squeal every time I read them! Thank you sooooo much to Pekudi and Maximoffs! As well as my favorite-ers!**

** 3! (Multiple Hearts...)**

**~SaLEm **


	11. Forseeable Disfunction

**Greetings once more~ So, I'm not doing Mpreg! :D**

**Also, sorry if this story seems scattered, I'm obviously in desperate need of a beta, hahaha~**

**You can always leave questions/complaints/concerns in a review or PM.**

**Chapter Ten 'Recap': Naruto gets his 'student-mission' stuff, Jiraiya and Tsunade are acting all funny, OH NO! It's Itachi! OH NO! It's Sasuke! Sasu and Naru argue like any lovely couple, then realize they need to zip it, Itachi gets annoyed and visits his sensei, gets pissy because Madara did something with Sasuke that was 'Itachi's thing', Every one is unreasonably sassy, Sasu and Naru argue some more, Mada and Ita argue, fight, get frisky, get interrupted (fucking Sasuke/Iruka...)... It's just too much, you get the picture.**

**On with the show.**

**Chapter Eleven~: Foreseeable Disfunction**

**Itachi**

My eyes blink open tiredly, temporarily blinded by something too close to my face to be seen properly. My brows furrow in drowsy confusion as I freeze and try to figure out what my face is currently buried into. I lick my lips, and consequently licking what my mouth is pressed against and taste flesh.

Oh, it's just Sensei.

...Naked.

I gasp almost silently and jerk back, making Madara squirm a bit and turn on his side, making his back face me while my wide eyes try to wake up and take everything in.

I had been touching Madara's naked body, Sensei was sleeping in the same bed with me naked, Sensei didn't have clothes on, did I mention that Madara was naked?

I place my hand to my head, trying to sort my thoughts properly.

Last night when I stripped down to nothing, I had expected to wake up to Madara fully clothed, curled up far away from me on the bed. I had planned on teasing him, watching him stare at me longingly yet glaring at the same time. I hadn't expected him to wholeheartedly accept my challenge and do some teasing of his own.

I smirked, shaking my head at his away-facing form.

Uchiha Madara, the one person I couldn't predict.

My eyes wander up and down his body, scowling at the sheet that covered his hip just to spite me. He looked so good, and it seemed that he was almost glowing, but it was most likely my infatuation with him making imagination go wild. Surely someone couldn't glow in the dark.

My hand(yes, the one with a mind of it's own) crept towards the sheet, moving it down as I got closer to Sensei once more. An evil smirk devours my lips as I imagine Madara's face if he were to wake up to my tongue between his cheeks. I can only imagine the battle that would go down, and I doubt I could flee to safety in time. I decide against it in the end, glancing at the clock to see that I had only awoken about twenty minutes before my designated alarm was set.

No one had time for the chaos that would have ensued after a wake up call like that.

My smirk breaks into a full on grin and I have to stop myself from laughing at my humorous thoughts. It still would have been rather pleasing for both of us. I would get to mess with Sensei and I have yet to meet a man who would turn down a mouth at his more sensitive parts, so Madara would benefit from my wake up call as well. But alas, doing something like that would only get me the cold shoulder, so I once again deny myself of what I want.

Still, that doesn't stop my hand from pulling down the sheet.

I pull the thin fabric lower, fully intent on completely revealing the thin, muscular body that had been a mystery to me my entire life, aside from the few short glimpses I had stolen a few nights ago while Sensei bathed, but something catches my wondering eyes.

At his lower back, very low, there were four faint vertical lines, each about five inches long. They looked eerily similar to claw marks, as if someone had tried to rake their nails down Sensei's back but only accomplished marring his ass. Well, not really his ass, but almost.

I trace my fingers over the scars wondering how they could have gotten there when I hear, and feel, a low purr vibrate through him. I pause and look up to find him still sleeping. My eyes go back to the scars and I get closer to inspect them further. There's a foreign, instinctive feeling tingling in the back of my head, telling me to make them disappear.

That was a rather strange thought to have, considering I was not a healer and there was no way for me to accomplish such a task, but I went with my gut and let instinct take over. Oddly enough, that instinct told me to lower my lips to the scars, almost like a mother would kiss a child's 'ouch'. I do so, leaving my mouth there for a bit before doing the same to the other mysterious marks that littered his body.

I work my way up his back, unsure of whether or not to be pleased with his battle memorabilia. On one hand, it infuriated me to think that someone had laid their hands or weapons on what was mine, leaving a mark that didn't belong to me. On the other hand, these scars told stories of thousands of victorious and outstanding battles, showing that my mate was strong.

There was also the fact that all but maybe three of these scars happened before I was even born, so he hadn't even been mine yet, therefor I had no right or reason to be angry.

Still...

As I thought, nothing happened to the scattered lines. Perhaps my instincts were wrong. Is that possible in a demon? I had never met one with such dull, mixed-up senses, so maybe it was just mine?

Reguardless, I kiss every scar, secretly making it mine in my head before I get to the mark that really _did _belong to me. He squirms a bit when when I press my mouth to the Kanji, sighing when I let my tongue encircle it, tracing the Uchiha runes that surrounded the seal. He woke with a pleased hum, turning to look back at me as I hovered over him.

My hand sneaked around his waist and I pulled his back to my chest, maintaining the eye contact. If my boldness backfired then I could easily blame it on the 'game' we had both silently agreed to playing. Luckily, there were no objections, only a slight jump in surprise.

I didn't really want to blame this on a game, though. I wanted this to be real, I wanted Sensei to take me seriously. Sure, both of us knew what it was, this bond, but if we used our little game of seduction as a cover, then our actions could only be us trying to be victorious. This desire wouldn't be mine, it would be me trying to win a childish contest.

I wanted to make sure Madara _knew _what I felt. I wanted him completely.

And as I watched his eyes move to my mouth, I knew I wasn't alone in this. I wasn't the only one affected.

He licked his lips, craning his neck ever so slightly to give silent permission, beckoning me to his sweet mouth. I close the distance between us, softly at first, but he wasn't having that. He leaned back against me, my chest still pressed against his back as he tried to get on said back, pulling me closer to him, over him.

I hovered there for a bit and he pressed against me, his hands running over my naked chest and back.

Someone woke up on the right side of the bed this morning...

I bite at his lip and he groans, one of his hands snaking down to grab a handful of my ass. I gasp and my eyes and mouth snap open, making him smirk and plunge his tongue between my lips. I didn't really know how to feel about someone taking control of a sexual situation, as it had never happened to me before.

When Madara's wondering hand began massaging, I decided I was cool with it.

We tried to position ourselves to achieve a bit more... 'close contact', but found that one of the blankets vehemently disapproved of such behavior, acting as a cloth barrier between our heated bodies. My frustrated growl turned into a moan as Madara disregarded the blanket's opinions and pressed our lower halves together in a rather fluid movement.

Both of us jump as the alarm clock screams, but I silence the obnoxious wake up call with a wild swing of my hand, slapping the nightstand desperately trying to locate the proper button to do so.

I was so fucking tired of interruptions.

I feel Sensei's deep, taunting laugh against my lips and I bite him in retaliation. Instead of discouraging his smirk, the action seems to make his teasing worse.

"Temper-temper, boy..." He says as our mouths separate. I ignore him, my mind much too focused on the feeling of his barely-clothed(damned sheet...), fully hard manhood pressing against me. When I roll my hips against him he bites his lip and I feel his nails scrape against the skin of my lower hip, pulling forth a disturbing idea.

Is that how those claw marks got there? Had someone dragged their nails up Sensei's lower half in stead of down? The mere thought left a bad taste in my mouth, imagining Sensei positioned between some whore's legs, pleasuring them.

And the bad part was that his merciless nails felt good upon my skin.

I had never been a masochist, and honestly, not much a sadist(though many would disagree), but when Madara touched me, hurt me, it didn't fully register as discomfort. I felt a foreign monster within me yearning for that careless contact, wanting nothing more than my master's wrath.

Good God, what's wrong with me?

"Itachi...?" I snap back to reality, my eyes focusing on his watchful ones. Had he read my face or had he simply sensed my confusion? I wondered if my mixed emotions had shown through my eyes, if knew exactly what had been swimming through my mind, just because he was Madara.

The alarm clock beeped once more, telling me that it had only been snoozed, not silenced. I take the interruption as an escape, pressing a soft kiss to Madara's mouth as I crawl off of him, shut the alarm off, and walk to the bathroom to shower.

I felt concerned eyes watching me walk into the bathroom but I ignored them, stepping into the shower in a daze. As I washed myself, I became immersed in some of my distracting thoughts.

Why was I so hungry for Madara? Sure, I had always craved his attention, his affection, everything, but I had never been so consumed with anyone in my life. As a child, I had followed Madara so closely, almost like a pest, but now that I was grown, it wasn't enough any more. I wanted everything, the pleasure, the pain, and I wanted it all, so there would be none left for anyone else.

It was obsessive, greedy and stingy, but that was simply how Uchiha loved.

And the thought of love brought thoughts of pain, another thing that bothered me. I had always assumed that contact had been what made me crave battle with Madara, but perhaps it was Madara in general.

My hand thoughtfully touched my hip as remember the beastly feeling that had erupted when he dug his nails into me. He probably drew blood.

I shivered as the thought only seemed to excite me more.

_That _was the feeling that really made my skin crawl. As I had said earlier, I am no masochist, but it seems as thought Madara's apparent quirks were rubbing off on me. It was ridiculously sexy that he seemed to take pleasure from pain for some reason, but I had never experienced that myself.

It was an unexplainable craving, a shocking sensation that I can only blame on Madara, because who else could bring out such a demon in my sexual personality?

I'm suddenly reminded of our first 'encounter' when we arrived here, how violent and blood thirsty it had been, how I had wanted to make him bleed.

Is that what he felt too? Is that why it felt so good to fight him? It was almost sick how we only wanted to hurt one another.

But if both of our bodies wanted it, was it really 'sick', or was it simply out of our control? Was it just another carnal craving? Did this feeling even belong to me? Madara had said that our bond made us linked, so could I be feeling what he felt? If so, there were definitely things Sensei was hiding from me...

Madara...

He seemed to be the only thing running through my mind, now-a-days. Even at this very moment where I desired solitude to organize my thoughts, I wanted him here, I needed him.

I jumped as arms encircled my waist from behind. Speak of the devil...

I relax and let him pull me to his naked chest, holding me to him in a tight embrace. I must have been extremely lost in my thoughts, because it was difficult for even Madara to sneak up on me, yet he had. I sigh as he rests his chin on my shoulder as speaks, "Something troubles you, boy?" but I stay silent, not willing to answer in favor of leaning into his touch.

Madara didn't pry though, something I truly liked about him as a person. Instead, he simply nodded at my lack of response and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. We had been standing like that for not even a minute before he began to place meaningful kisses to my neck, making sure to give extra attention to his stamp of ownership.

I'm normally not the vocal type, but I can't hold back a few noises of approval, egging him on. Soon, my head is tilted completely to the side, giving Madara all the room in the world to go to town on my neck; and go to town he does. His mouth had me practically melting and I knew we were _way _behind schedule, but getting to 'work' on time wasn't exactly dominating my mind when tingles began to travel through my body.

He gave a particularly hard suck at my shoulder and I groaned, letting my head fall back and rest on his shoulder. I feel his smirk against my jaw as he trails light, intoxicating kisses up my neck, right below my ear, "Hmm, 'Tachi... I like the sounds you make..." And his mouth is against my ear, tongue teasing sinfully.

Fuck, that feels good...

"Sense-AH!" I gasp as the water goes cold. How long had we been in here?

I jump away from Sensei, making him almost slip as I push him to get out of the shower and run to the bedroom. Dripping wet and naked, I glare at the face of my clock, mentally face-palming at my carelessness.

The first bell would be ringing in approximately thirteen minutes. Fu-

"What's wrong with you, boy? Thoughtlessly shoving..." I pause in my frantic dressing to glance at him. He was standing in the doorway, glaring at me with his all.

...And he was in nothing but a towel.

I quickly pull my undershirt over my head(my eyes) and run to the closet to get my button-up. It's a good thing I got out of that shower, because if he would have made me come, it would have been me 'losing'. Even if I wanted Madara to be serious, that didn't mean I was going to have him dangling his 'victory' over my head.

Yeah, I couldn't seem to make up my mind about that particular topic.

Anyway, it's not like it would have been difficult to make me climax if he really tried, so I didn't think that was what he had been aiming to do back in the shower. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but it would be nice to think that he truly wanted me like I did him, that the game was irrelevant to that.

I walk out of the closet to see him on all fours crawling across the bed. He reminded me of a cat, the way his eyes squinted ever so slightly, the way his back arched just barely. It was tempting beyond belief, and when he crawled towards me seductively I had to swallow harshly, trying to hide the fact that he had my mouth watering.

"What are you doing, Madara-sama?"

He looks up at me, probably noticing the slight pinkness to my cheeks and he smirks. "I want to sleep longer, boy."

I glare, "We are going to be late as it is," I grab a few garments from the closet and toss the at him. "Put these on."

He frowns, tilting his head in an irresistibly innocent fashion. Ha, Madara 'innocent'.

"Who are you to order me around?"

I smirk, crawling toward him, equally cat-like. "If not me, then who else would?" And his eyes are on my lips again. I lean forward but stop before we make contact, smirking. "There's no time for that, Sensei," He growls as I abruptly stand and leave the room. Heh, I could be a tease too, if I wanted.

"Get dressed, Madara-sensei. We're already late." And he was mostly at fault, but I wouldn't say that out loud. Besides, like hell I was going to discourage his advances. It kinda made me dread the Akatsuki meeting scheduled for tonight, because time with the Akatsuki was time away from Madara.

I'm surprised when he leaves the room fully dressed and ready only five minutes later, but I suppose it makes sense since he wasn't exactly professional looking. His hair was still wild and he was only clad in a turtle neck and black jeans. _Tight _black jeans...

"Let's go," I say nervously, and he silently follows, easily keeping up with my 'speed walk' pace. I hold back a sigh when we make it to the hall way as the bell rings. Damn, almost made it, too.

We're about to turn into the corridor of our respective class rooms when he grabs my arm and turns me, slamming our mouths together cruelly before walking past me, leaving me to stand breathless and disoriented in the middle of a hallway. My lips tingled slightly from the force of the kiss, but I relished the feeling. It seemed that Madara liked kisses.

The thought gave me a small smile. It was so odd and almost... silly. Uchiha Madara, ruthless warrior, closet romantic. I honestly wasn't any better, though, being Uchiha Itachi, the man who murdered his clan who just so happens to be a cuddler. I was feeling rather giddy, though, knowing something like that about Madara. A small, hummed laugh escapes my lips as I replay the kiss, how he fled immediately after.

It's okay, I like kissing you too, Sensei.

Another thought enters my head, that maybe I'm thinking too much, that I'm just letting my imagination run wild. Madara is a very enigmatic man, so I couldn't go assuming anything, nor could I always take his word. I frown, walking around the corner to greet a few prompt students, unlocking my classroom to the sound of their half-assed complaints. Honestly, who complains when your teacher is late?

I steal Madara's idea and introduce myself to my new students silently, writing my name and instructions on the board. As if the first day didn't annoy me enough, my second-day students were twice as rambunctious and talkative. Today I would suffer class periods five through eight, one through four being tomorrow once again and so on in that alternating pattern.

I hoped that Madara's students could behave themselves, because I really didn't need him getting frustrated and killing someone. Madara only had patience for a select few, and I doubted that he would be too forgiving if one of those humans got too annoying.

Part of me hoped they were horrible, though, so they could exact the revenge that I could not. Even though I was happy with Sensei here, he was still bringing confusing thoughts and a shit load of trouble that I didn't need.

But I can't help my smile. Even if he's trouble, I couldn't get enough of him.

Madara was being rather open with me. I found the idea exciting, my Sensei, openly wanting me as I wanted him. Of course, we couldn't just publicly display such affections, but in private, there was no stopping us. Besides, I didn't want Sasuke finding out any way.

That would be bad...

Despite the minor faults, this situation was proving to be pleasant, not nearly as awful as I had first assumed. I now had something, someone, to live for. It was so much better than what I had dreamed as a child. Sensei was here, acknowledging me, responding to me. I had thought Sensei would push me away, deny and reject me completely, but that wasn't the case at all, luckily.

No, it's not luck, Sensei and I need each other, or at least, that's how I want it to be...

Love, no matter how innocent and secret or intense and deranged, made men pathetic.

Here I was, The Great Uchiha Itachi, doubting myself, trying to desperately reassure myself that someone reciprocated my feelings. I could have anyone I want, even without Sharingan-hypnosis, but I was struggling with one measly man. In any other case I wouldn't be worried, after all, who would reject the love of Uchiha Itachi?

But this was no 'measly man', this was Uchiha Madara.

My thoughts revolve around him through out my classes, and I can't wait for third, or 'seventh', class today, since it was a conference/break period. I would be able to sneak off to Madara's class room and be near him...

When the dismissal bell rang for my second class, I raced out, beating my students to the door and rushing them out into the hallway. I want to see him, damn it. I looked across the hall, watching as students slowly left and arrived to his class room, wishing we could be back in our 'home'. Was it healthy to need someone like this?

Probably not.

But, as I hurry across the hall to his class room, I can't find it in myself to care. I was slowly getting what I wanted.

My hand flies to my neck. I didn't know whether to damn or appreciate this bond...

I walk into the room, effectively silencing a few students who had me as their Japanese teacher. When they realized I wasn't concerned with them, the volume of their chatter slowly and nervously rose back to it's original dull roar.

Upon the sudden silence, Sensei had lifted his head from it's spot upon the desk. He looked as if he had been in a dead sleep, his eyes harsh looking and the bags under them a bit darker. Perhaps it had been naïve, wishful thinking, but I had hoped that seeing me would have brightened his features, but he only grimaced and buried his face into his arms with a groan.

Apparently, my presence was rather offensive.

I lift an eyebrow, quite offended myself, but take a seat next to him any way. Strangely, he shies away from me.

I watch as his body shakes, a light sweat breaking out making him look slightly feverish. He lifts his head, trying to look away from me but I see his eyes.

They were red again.

It wasn't Sharingan, as there were no tomoe and his chakra was not focused in his eyes. Still, there was an unsettling energy coming off Madara in waves and my gut said his diluted red eyes and sickly pallor were no coincidence. I wrack my brain trying to think of what could be going on with him and his odd behavior but come up short.

I had never encountered such a dark, empty energy.

It seems that Sensei only knew how to bring me distressed thoughts...

Sensei, what's wrong with you?

**Madara**

God, tonight couldn't come fast enough.

How was I going to get away without Itachi knowing? Luckily my immortal 'contact' was in the area so I wouldn't have to travel far. Still, I didn't want Itachi asking questions. How was I supposed to rendezvous with my food source with that brat hanging all over me?

Not that I didn't like that... heh...

Still, "Hey, boy, I have to go meet an immortal so I can feast upon his demonic blood. Why? Oh, it's just because I actually want to do that to _you_, but my conscience won't let me."

Yeah, I didn't think that would go too smoothly...

It was pretty tempting though.

Hmm, I haven't seen my immortal ally in quite some time, I can only imagine what that crazy bastard was up to now-a-days. As unpleasant as he was, he was the best choice. Contacting him secretly had been hard enough, but God bless those cellular phones. I don't know why Sasuke was so against them, they were pretty useful, and it seemed as though Itachi was not the only demon who made themselves familiar with technology.

It was almost too easy to track him down, though, so perhaps Sasuke was right in his distrust of the devices.

Speaking of Sasuke, he just walked into my class room. He's early for third period...

I really hope he didn't want to talk to me or something. I couldn't face anyone right now.

I bury my face into my arms, both to avoid eye contact with anyone and keep the light from my burning eyes. My body was aching, my blood was pounding in my ears, the sunlight was starting to affect me.

I groan when I feel Itachi enter the class room and my muscles tense up. He was really the last person I needed around me, especially when he insisted on smelling so good. Or maybe he only seemed that attractive because of the bond? It was a thought that had been bothering me lately.

Did I want Itachi or did my blood want Itachi? Uchiha bonding rituals were no joke, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that all of these feelings stemmed from the mark on my neck.

But it couldn't be entirely at fault. As weak as it made me feel, I knew Itachi had lived up to his name and weaseled his way into my heart as a boy. The little pest...

Even now I felt those eyes watching me, concerned, worried. It was good to know I had a place in his heart as well.

I lift my head, blinking my stinging eyes open. I made sure not to look at Itachi, because it felt like he would make me go crazy. Instead, I looked straight ahead, catching two heads of bright read hair. The first was a disturbed looking young man who looked to have two black eyes and a rather empty gaze. The other was the female that had been following Sasuke around lately. The boy felt human, but the girl was a different story. That ridiculous chakra could only mean one thing.

The blood of a Kyuubi vessel.

"Uzumaki, approach my desk." Half of the room freezes, reminding me that many of the students were familiar with that legendary name. I feel Itachi and Sasuke eyeing me strangely, as well as a few others but my eyes never leave the Uzumaki girl.

She tried to seem like she didn't know who I was talking about, but the act was forced. Her powerful chakra flowed through her nervously as she sputtered but I wasn't listening to her. Among the few young demons in the room, many smelling of Konoha, many smothered, she stuck out like a sore thumb. That could be due to my history with Uzumaki and Senju clans, but it was still significantly different.

She nervously, but wisely, followed my demands, walking cautiously to my desk. Her caution indicated that she was sensory type, and a good one at that, but that was nothing too unbelievable for someone with such pure Uzumaki chakra.

I could easily skip my rendezvous tonight and take her blood instead...

No, I think mournfully, that wouldn't be wise. If she practically stalked Sasuke then she was well aware of his Uchiha heritage and they seemed to be rather familiar with each other. The last thing I needed was her blabbing to Sasuke that Kurosawa-sensei been nursing her jugular...

Damn, what I'd do to be an actual vampire, because having the ability to make someone forget would be pretty damn handy in situations like these.

Sure, Sharingan could do similar things, but my eyes had always been more suited to travel and control, or, to word it more accordingly, possession. I had always admired Itachi for his eyes, so strong and powerful. Every Uchiha's Sharingan was capable of 'hypnosis', but it really depended on the person, and my mate shined in that particular field. Pride swelled in me as I thought of the boy's power, simply because he was mine...

But so did a slight jealousy, because I lacked that kind of control, that talent, and if I were to try sweep away the girl's mind, I'd end up killing her. Control was just as important as, if not more than, power.

I didn't even need my eyes to obtain her fear, though. Her slight quivers made me inwardly smirk. Ha, some Uzumaki. They were well known for their spunk, but this pretty young thing seemed quite lacking.

The silence of the class room disturbed me and I looked past the girl to find every head turned toward us. I glare, about to order them to speak, when Itachi takes over, igniting the chatter once more as I addressed Uzumaki. I could feel his eyes, though.

I speak quietly, my low voice making her tense even more. "Uzumaki... Exactly how old are you?"

She looks confused so I begin to doubt myself. I had thought that she could possibly hold the Kyuubi, as she is the only Uzumaki I could sense.

She answers in a surprisingly strong tone, letting the Uzumaki spunk come out. "Old enough."

I frown, never having been one for the clan's personality quirks. "Years, girl." She grimaces bravely, her dislike over-shadowing her fear of me.

"Plenty." I glare, making her overbearing confidence falter. "... Seventy four." Damn, young, but not young enough. Itachi and Uzumaki shared suspicious expressions, both directed towards me.

Asking her if she had contact with other clansmen would be a waste of time. If she did, she would hide them as they were all 'in cognito' since after their so called 'elimination'. There was also the chance that she really _didn't_ have contact with any fellow Uzumaki, as most of the remaining clansmen had split up a long time ago.

I gave her a look that let her know I had my eyes on her before waving my hand in dismissal.

She gave one last glance to my red eyes, then made haste back to her seat. I watched as Sasuke's eyes followed her, then glanced to me. I gave him a quick smirk and he raised his brow curiously. I turned away, not responding to his silent conversation. It amazed me sometimes, how similar and different Sasuke from his brother.

Itachi had just finished smooth conversation with a rather eloquent student. Wasn't that the student in advanced class? Was his schedule switched? I shrugged it off, listening to the last bit of their exchange. The boy was rather bright, disturbingly so. His eyes were not calculating, though, but rather tired. Any conversation with Itachi was bound to be quite stimulating, but this child seemed ready to pass out. His droopy gaze moved to me as Itachi dismissed his conversation.

I didn't like that narrow-eyed, knowing look. He reeked of Konoha, making me want to grab his pine-apple looking head and smash it into a desk, and judging by the current condition I was in, it was quite possible that such a thing could happen.

Come to think of it, though, the smell of Konoha was rather strong, especially with those damned Hyuuga around. Was it some kind of new trend to let young demons run wild in a human world? And here I thought Itachi had been original...

I glared at nothing in particular. If there was one thing in this world that I resented more than anything, it was the village I co-founded. It burned my pride to be lumped together with Senju, and what's worse was that they apparently put up statues at our battle site after my 'death', according to my descendants. Forever a monument of that day will stand, a reminder to all that power was no blessing, that it brought a fall. My fall had been my confidence, my blindness, my anger.

My revenge.

At times I wished I could go back and change things. Perhaps if I hadn't let my fury get the best of me then I could have planned out the last Kyuubi attack a little better, then all of the Konoha brats of the world wouldn't be here to remind me of all of my failures.

So many _failures._

Yes, as my father always said, I always lived up to my name, in the end. The victorious stain, the flawed leader, the Uchiha black sheep. He had been the one to curse me with that name. Needless to say, I had not mourned his death.

No, I was not the one to kill him, such a thing was still unheard of in that time, but I was still responsible for his end. I, the ugly blemish, was the one to bring the crimson era of Uchiha spilling Uchiha blood.

I was the one to curse our family, and part of me took pride in it. I was both the up-rise and down-fall of the famed and feared Uchiha clan.

A glance at my former charge brought a nervous thought to my head. Would Itachi look at me the same if he knew? Would his eyes for me change if I told him that _I _had been the first to partake in the corruption. Sure, I had not planned on my actions bringing forth an epidemic, but it had still been me, the one who inspired such disgusting rituals.

I may not have been the first to live off an other person's blood, but I had been the first to take a fellow clansmen's.

I had taken Izuna's eye and ruthlessly drank from his neck. It had been an attempt to escape the angel of death, but along with life, it had brought titanic power. I had always secretly envied my younger brother anyway, for he escaped the accursed 'blood'-gene, which was probably why my father favored him.

My mother was his older sister, I suffered the same fate as her.

Sometimes I wondered where the line went wrong. We had all started as the oldest son of the legendary Sage, but I couldn't believe that the Sage of Six Paths had put the thirst for blood inside of him. The legend was well known, the start of Demons and Immortals. It said nothing of 'vampiric' tendencies.

Vampires were another case entirely, but how did their main habit entangle itself into our blood, my blood?

There were a few before my mother and I that were pegged with the curse, so it hadn't _truly_ started with me, but they had all been killed off or simply withered away, being taken by the sickness of our curse.

I had only been the first to perfect the true immortality, but it had been at the cost of my own 'foolish younger brother'.

With the eternal eyes and the cursed blood, I was incapable of true 'death', the closest I could ever come was comatose.

And if I finalized the bond between Itachi and I, he couldn't die either.

But one couldn't be sure, since there was always that chance that Itachi lacked the vampiric trait.

His eyes sparkled with the desire to turn red as they grew hazy during our last few encounters, but that could easily be due to my influence, so I couldn't be sure of his blood.

Sasuke seemed to exhibit signs of inheriting the gene, and many other traits, from his mother naturally, but I just couldn't see it so clearly in Itachi. The inheritance of that particular Uchiha bloodline seemed to trend, usually showing up in the first born child, but Itachi was so different from the other Uchiha. The clan bonds were one thing, but if you were of the special bloodline it was even more significant, so depending on the pair, it could get complicated.

What if I failed when I perfected the bond? If Itachi did not carry the same traits as I, meaning the bloodline, then instead of making his immortality true, it could make me...

...mortal.

He would truly be a weakness then. If he died now, I would probably put myself into an eternal sleep, my only way of 'dieing'. That, or turn myself in to the council and have them seal me again. But if I were capable of death, then Itachi would be the one to bring me to my end. If he died and we were bonded, I wouldn't be able to live on.

I gaze at him, noting how he met my eyes without hesitation.

I wanted it, still, though. True immortality meant nothing to me if Itachi wasn't fully mine. I couldn't keep kidding myself, telling myself that I would prevent it. There was still a chance that he had the gene, and if not, I just wouldn't bite him.

...Ugh, that would be awful...

But still, a fifty-fifty chance of having the gene wasn't so bad, so I had hope.

I just prayed that Itachi was like me, so we could be complete, and because vampiric, not vampire(1), immortality had it's perks.

It wasn't a curse for nothing, though. While no one could kill me, I could still feel pain. Death was not a possible escape that, but I suppose that's why I didn't let pain hurt.

There was also a darkness that bled into your soul like dye in water. It was an uncontrollable monster that resided in the back of your mind, always wanting blood. It was an animal that would strike at any moment and bombard your common thoughts with carnal ones. Mate, kill, feed.

Could someone with Itachi's heart handle it?

The eyes that watched me without fear said yes, but I knew better. Itachi was special, that's why council chose him to end the Uchiha. It angered me to know they had used him to end my mistake. Itachi was a black sheep, too, but for different reasons.

I had been _too _Uchiha, while Itachi... Well, he didn't belong in the clan I had created.

Still maintaining eye contact, I smiled at the boy. My Itachi. Such a good heart, like liquid gold protected by a diamond-strong wall of hate and death. He frowned at my smile, unable to read into my thoughts. His heart didn't thirst for war like his clan's had, Itachi thirsted for love.

Sasuke's love.

My love.

It wasn't hard to love Itachi, it wasn't even hard for me to admit it to myself. We just fit so well together, there was no reason to deny something so obvious.

Still frowning, his hand reached for mine but I pulled away, rejecting the gesture. I wasn't doing it to be cruel, I really did want to give into my emotions and love Itachi, but in this blood thirsty state, physical contact was out of the question.

He looked a bit down-heartened, shrinking back into himself and facing away from me. Don't worry, boy, I'll love you when it's safe; for both of us.

Heaven knows Itachi needed it.

I suppose it didn't hurt me, either. I just hope that I could give Itachi the love he deserved.

I watched him through out the rest of the class as he did my job for me, playing teacher. He interacted with people fluidly, despite his general distaste for idle chatter. A few cocky humans engaged in friendly banter, something that was a guilty pleasure us three remaining Uchiha. After watching the humans for awhile, the other young demons loosened up a bit.

They had probably sensed Itachi's power, despite being unaware of his identity. The humans were none the wiser, so, not knowing their place, they treated him like they would any young adult, oblivious to his intimidating aura. I'm sure it was quite refreshing to Itachi.

I personally had never been too fond of humans, the short time with them after the Senju battle had been spent using them for sex. Not all sessions had been as rewarding as the occasional romp with a fellow demon, as you could rough them up and not worry about breaking them, but it was still sex, and as an Uchiha, I was a very lustful creature.

Humans had taught me a few things, though. While being gentle had never been my style, I taught myself to be that way. It had, quite surprisingly, become a very useful skill indeed. If I had not gone into hiding with humans once before, learned from them, I would have never been able to be there for Itachi, a sad young boy who ended up seeking comfort in only me.

I gaze warmly upon him, imagining his childlike features relaxing completely in a memory. It had been the first time I comforted him. I had ran my gloved fingers through his hair, over his face with feather-lightness, surprising him. He was probably unaware that Uchiha were capable of gentleness. I had been too.

Could it have been my influence that made him grow into the beautiful, loveable creature he was?

True, Uchiha didn't love gracefully, but even now, talking to strangers, he looked warm. Yes, Itachi deserved all the love in the world, but I wasn't sure if I had that surplus of fuzzy feelings to drown him in. My love was possessive, twisted. There were always two sides to every story, every person, but the more prominent side tended to be the ugly one.

Yes, there were definitely warm and fuzzy feelings, but you couldn't ignore the other side of my love for him. The sick, monstrous, all-consuming love that made Itachi my world. The love I liked to blame on the bond instead of my nature.

Love was not a word with one definition. 'I love you' meant too many things. To humans, those words only shed a blinding light upon affection, romance and kindness. That was their 'love'. To tell Itachi that I loved him would not be so pure and attractive. My love for him was so much more than that, taking multiple definitions, not just the pretty ones.

Itachi knew this, too. It was a silent knowledge, one that didn't need to be addressed. His love for me probably carried many of the same definitions, the good, the bad and the ugly. Love didn't mean the same thing to us as it did to most, therefor I didn't fret over loving Itachi. After everything we've been through, we both needed someone who could relate. A fellow stain, a fellow 'bad omen' who was just as disfunctional.

Yes, I can love you, boy. It may not be the love you deserve, but it's the kind you understand.

**Sasuke**

Today was just too complicated for me, it seemed.

That stupid blonde practically tip-toed into the room, sitting next to _me _of all people. I braced myself for another petty argument, hoping that it wouldn't escalate into something that would lift Madara's snoozing head from his desk. Secretly, I was a bit apprehensive of my oldest relative, but I had many a reason for feeling that way.

But Naruto didn't, or at least, he shouldn't.

Watching Naruto eye Madara so warily made me suspicious. He shouldn't know who Madara is. Orochimaru had told me how secretive Konoha was about the past and I was positive that Madara was one of their 'hush-hush' topics.

This idiot, though... He was not as human as his energy claimed. He was most likely immortal, but it was hard to tell which kind. It was possible that he was an ex-mortal, but that didn't seem to fit. No, his senses were far too keen. He must have come from a well-bred clan of immortals. Senses like that simply did not happen for those of human, or ex-human, nature. It was possible that his sensory skills were as good as, or better than, Karin's, which said something considering the fact that she was of Uzumaki heritage.

Even she couldn't discern clans based solely off chakra, but Naruto had picked all three of us out without even putting forth any effort. How could he know?

Something was off about him, I could feel it in my core. We were connected, somehow, but there was no way to explain it, and the connection was vague. It was as if someone had put Naruto into some kind of bubble, like a force field, making it impossible to see past his disguised chakra.

If you were born of non-human blood, there was no hiding it. Not from other demons, at least. Some ex-mortals could hide, and demons could hide their power, but it was impossible to make a fellow demon believe you had humanity.

So how was Naruto doing it?

He was too powerful to be an ex-human immortal, but he wasn't a demon and even clan-immortals couldn't hide.

There was no way he was human, he knew way too much...

I looked back to the front, ignoring the presence of my brother as he walked in. He had been acting so strange around me lately, as if I had done something wrong. I did my best to avoid him, stay out of his way, but it was difficult. One, he was one of my teachers. Two, I had somewhat missed him over the years, and three-

_I didn't fucking _do_ anything!_

I honestly couldn't understand his glares, and frankly, I didn't need them. I have a lot of shit on my plate, too. I have to run from Orochimaru _and _make sure that blonde loser didn't cause us trouble. I'm actually protecting him and he's being a dick for no reason.

I inwardly shake my head, looking at nothing in particular as I secretly watch everything around me. That Naruto was watching me like a hawk, and Gaara was watching Naruto while getting watched by Neji who was occasionally sparing suspicious glances at me and Itachi was watching Madara while Madara was watching Karin while-

Wait, what?

"Uzumaki, approach my desk."

What the fuck is going on here?

I see Naruto tense up even worse than when we met, but I ignore it in favor of watching my relative and comrade interact. Karin struggles, trying to deny his accusation, but there's really no hope. She may not be able to sense who he is, but she senses his power, so she's not stupid enough to disobey.

I try to listen to their conversation, everybody does, but a firm glare from Itachi has everyone minding their own business once more. Itachi steals the attention of a student who was far too attentive of teacher-student conversation, so it's hard for me to hear Madara and Karin over their monotonous voices. All I can get from the interaction is Madara asking her age and lineage, then simply dismissing her.

I narrow my eyes, frowning as my suspicious gaze meets Madara's smirk. I huff silently and turn away, not taking well to being teased. Naruto is still watching them, but I can't imagine what for. His eyes simply move about, and I swear I see him almost nod. Suddenly his eyes widen and I quickly look to the front, trying to catch whatever scandalous scene he was watching, but I saw nothing. It was just Madara staring at Itachi, and Itachi wasn't even looking at him, still talking to that nosy student.

I'm about to look away, having lost interest after Itachi's conversation ended, but I see a sudden movement. Itachi reaches out to Madara for some reason, but Madara pulls back his hand coldly, making Itachi's face fall. It was the strangest thing...

My mind struggles to understand, thoughts going a mile a minute, trying to get a general idea of what I had just witnessed. It seemed like nothing, but Naruto had a strange expression on his face that said otherwise.

I watched with keen eyes through out the rest of the class, not letting a single action go unseen from my relatives, or Naruto for that matter. The latter had a disturbed, yet knowing look, but a small piece of the puzzle evaded me, so I could not share the look. I grew bored of watching Madara watch Itachi teach, so my full and undivided attention was given to my seat mate.

I frowned as the gesture was not returned. Perhaps that particular puzzle-piece was what made him unable to grow bored of my elder Uchiha. Narrowed eyes accompanied my frown and I begin to wonder if my kind can get wrinkles. Not only does this faux-human know too much, he seems to know more than me.

As if feeling my questioning eyes on him, he looks toward me and I almost get lost.

Those eyes were an extraordinary shade of blue, like the clear-blue water a thirsty man dreamed of. I stared into them, never having been one to back down or be embarrassed. When he continues our staring contest, I conclude the same about him, and we stay like that.

My pupils never leave his, but they take in everything around those entrancing orbs. His yellow hair and colored skin are extravagant, ones I've never seen mesh so well, so naturally. It seemed they were both kissed by the sun, and rather sensually, but they could still be compared.

His eyes though, they were so layered; deep and pure. It made me wonder why Deidara's were not the same, despite them being of the same blood. From the dreams that plagued my sleep, I could remember my family members sharing the same eyes, talking with the same eyes, all moving and seeming the same way, so what made any other relatives different? Why did Deidara's eyes not shine with so much to say?

Another thing that nagged at my mind was the fact that Naruto had such a strange birthmark that was currently absent. Sure, I had noticed yesterday, but it hadn't truly bothered me until I could stare. My eyes soaked in the smooth, flawless cheeks, unmarred by the lines from the picture I had seen. I found that my eyes missed them. They gave him a bit of character that had been quite flattering, but now that they were gone, the blonde's face was lacking something that mad him 'Naruto'.

The bell rung, making both of us blink. I watched as Naruto gathered his things, looking away as if I weren't there. There were so many questions surrounding him, questions I couldn't ask here, and I could only look forward to our meeting.

I followed his form with my eyes as he forced himself into the crowd leaving the room, obviously trying to go unseen by the elder Uchiha. I looked back to my relatives, seeing them engaged in a staring contest of their own, one that Itachi seemed to be winning. It could be no true victory, though, as Madara's fingers twitched a nervous impatience and his shadowed eyes remained half-lidded in apparent exhaustion. I could tell that they were communicating, I just couldn't understand it, but I watched anyway.

It, for some reason, pulled at my chest(perhaps that was my heart?) like a relevant poem, composed into a helpless music. It was something in my core that understood what my brain could not put into words, so I continued to watch them as they continued to not notice my watching, a habit that I had adopted as of late.

It was as if their eyes had a tangible connection that someone could reach out and touch, a smooth ribbon that tied them together as student and pupil, as Uchiha, as broken creatures.

I shake my head and silently leave the room, my footsteps struggling and lacking a common rhythm. I felt myself almost choke as the emptiness in my very soul became poisoned with a drowning want, a need that I thought had died with my clan. The visible connection between my living clan members has stolen the numbness from my chest, giving back a crippling, dying desperation to dwell in it's place.

My non-physical insides clenched, the mournful hurt begging to be released through my eyes. I stumble, feeling attacked. I had never received such a merciless onslaught of emotion, at least not this kind. Fear and hate had been prominent, but never their painful inversions. My brain scrambles for a cure, but I can only see intuitive sky-colored eyes.

I distance myself from the blue-tinted feelings, my brain having grasped a foot hold to pull myself out.

Naruto.

He would know what terrible sickness has taken me, he knows so much. Plus, I couldn't help but remember the weightless feeling that had overtaken me at the sound of his laugh, the polar opposite of the heaviness currently living in me. If he could not explain the feeling, he could surely cure it.

I wander the grounds, not finding it in myself to attend my last class of the day. I spend the spare time thinking; What has made me feel like this? Would that Dobe really know? How am I supposed to ask him, much less corner him in order to do so?

I walk around the campus without a destination for a good two hours, school already having been dismissed, when finally, like an answer to my prayers, the once-damnable hunk of plastic in my pocket vibrates. I look at the screen, reading the reply to the sole text in my 'sent' folder.

The response to 'Hello, Dobe.' had come a day late as '_Hyuuga is gone, come to my room._', but that's all I receive. There's an oddly suggestive ring to the words, but I ignore my brain's attempt to pervert the demand. I assume that the lack of dorm number means that he's going to make me track him and I can't help the growl that escapes my throat. As if today hadn't been annoying and tedious enough, let's just add to the building stress.

I change direction, my senses searching for him, and eventually I make it there; my tracking skills somewhat rusty. When the door is finally opened to me, after a bit of griping on my part, I am greeted in the strangest way.

"You are invited in."

… What?

**Naruto**

This was it. The moment of truth... The 'talk' with Uchiha Sasuke...

If 'Sasuke' was even his real name...

I had planned on waiting until the weekend to have conversation, just so I could find somewhere secret or something, but today had changed my mind completely.

This had to happen ASAP.

I had walked into my English literature class expecting some stranger to give us 'busy work' to do until Kakashi came back, but instead, there had been a familiar stranger.

Now I know what your thinking; What the hell is a familiar stranger?

Well, my non-jinchuuriki friends, a familiar stranger is what I call someone Kyuubi knows, but I have never met.

For example- Gaara, well, more like Shukaku, was a familiar stranger.

For another more relevant example- Uchiha Madara was a familiar stranger.

When I had walked in, Sasuke had already sat himself in the back, watching me as I inwardly fought through a panic attack.

Uchiha Madara is my English teacher.

Uchiha Madara is calling himself 'Kurama', the name of the Kyuubi.

Madara knows I'm here, he's taunting me, trying to draw me out...

I could only hide my inner turmoil so well...

Kyuubi was worse off than I was, unsure of whether or not piss himself or go into an all caps rage. I was quite fine with pissing myself, honestly.

I thought all of the Uchiha, minus Itachi, were supposed to be dead! Sure, Sasuke could be counted as a technicality, but why couldn't these stubborn bastards just die!

I stiffly walk to the very back of the class, holding my breath for some reason as I sit down next to Sasuke, who was still watching me by the way. I don't know why I sat next to him, but I excused it as wanting to use him as a meat shield if shit hit the fan.

Sasuke was smirking as he watched me squirm in my seat, not willing to take my eyes off of Madara. I was in shock. First Itachi, now this? What was their purpose here? I let myself sit and day dream, my imagination running wild with possibilities of how and why they were here.

For some reason, Sasuke and Itachi holding hands over a pentagram came to mind, as if they were using Orochimaru-style witch craft to raise Madara from the pits of hell. Maybe that's why Sasuke and his brother are here, they made a trade off to get their ancient ancestor back so they can all rule the world and enslave us and they were here to get Gaara and I so we can be their weird pets and-

**Shut up, kit, you're annoying me.**

_Then what do you think it is?_

Kyuubi doesn't answer me, so I keep my eyes on Madara.

He looks... well, I never imagined him to look like he did. I always thought of the statue outside of Konoha, but the only reason he really looked like that was his hair... The Madara statue always made him seem so Godly, like no matter how tall you were, he would be looking down at you.

Well, he was actually pretty tall, but still!

Now, he was just... casual looking, and it was really weird. He looked a little less intimidating without his armor, and the fact that he had just stolen candy from a student didn't exactly help his case. He wasn't even really paying attention to anyone, even Sasuke. The lack of interest in his descendant made me doubt that he even _knew _Sasuke.

I watched as Madara zeroed his eyes on something, a person, almost glaring. God, I would hate to be them, because now he was living up to his scary name quite well.

He craned his neck a bit to get a better look at them and I noticed a strange looking mark on his neck that his hair had obscured before. It was Kanji, but I couldn't see what for-

Oh my God, what if it's a curse mark? What if Orochimaru enslaved Madara with his zombie technique! I honestly couldn't decided which was worst, a world run by Uchiha or a world run by _that _creepy bastard.

**It's not Orochimaru's. That's an Uchiha symbol. Madara would have to have been dead for Orochimaru to resurrect him.**

Oh... I knew that...

I was coming to just accept Kyuubi's knowledge about stuff like this, try and use it to my advantage instead of letting it through one ear and out the other.

I tried to get a better look to see what it said, but the guy had so much freaking hair! Is that even professionally acceptable for a teacher? Then again, he could have just used his evil eyes on the principal or who ever hired him...

Speaking of teacher stuff, shouldn't Iruka or Anko recognize them? I needed to push them together as soon as possible, one of them would be able to report it discreetly and then the-

**Madara is not from their generation, and only Uchiha could see Uchiha records. They wouldn't be able to pick him out of a crowd.**

That's true, if it hadn't been for Kyuubi recognizing his scent then I would've been unaware as well.

_But aren't Anko and Itachi the same age? And Iruka can't be more than five years olde-_

**If Itachi was only involved with Konoha through ANBU assassins, Iruka would have never seen his face, and like you said, he's aged-**

_But what about Anko?_

_**Do not interrupt me!**_

I stiffen in my seat at Kyuubi's tone, catching Sasuke's attention once more. The fox has been pretty edgy about this Madara thing, but I couldn't really blame him, I was freaked out too.

_Uh, go on?_

**Anko is Orochimaru's ex-apprentice, yes?**

I stop myself from outwardly nodding.

_Uh-huh._

**And she is ANBU?**

_Yeah, I'm pretty sure that she was there when Kakashi was, and Kakashi says he remembered Itachi when he was young._

Kyuubi seemed to think for a bit.

**There is a chance that they have encountered one another, but it is slim since she had been of Orochimaru. Our real chance lies with Hatake Kakashi.**

Kyuubi doesn't speak after that, leaving me with my _own _thoughts of this situation, this legendary demon.

Madara. In clans, names mean so much, especially in ancient, important clans. It made me want to laugh at the sheer irony of Itachi's name, because calling your child a weasel, basically a 'bad omen', was practically asking to get wiped out.

But why name Madara like they had? Sure, Madara was probably like Kyuubi, old as dirt, but even _he _had parents, right? Why would they name him 'speckled'? 'Stain'? It was like calling him an impure mistake, tainted and flawed. No wonder the guy tried to take out Konoha, he was probably _all _fucked up from his childhood. It seemed most(all) Uchiha were...

Maybe Madara had been a mistake? An unplanned child or an unwanted second son? Everyone hated the guy, even his own clan-

Speaking of his own clan...

I hold my breath as I watch Itachi walk in and sit down next to Madara, speaking fluid Japanese that was too hard for me to hear without using Kyuubi's ears.

And like hell I was going to use Kyuubi's ears in _his _presence. I had a feeling that even now he was feeling around for me, for Kyuubi, like he could sense us if there were a sudden spike in chakra.

I held the necklace through my shirt.

As I watched Itachi and Madara's interaction, I can't help but feel that my last assumption was wrong. Perhaps Madara wasn't hated by everyone, because Itachi sure seemed to fancy him. There was a comfortable air around them that hadn't been there with either until they came into the other's presence, but there was a slightly playful tone between them, despite Madara's tired silence.

Uchiha can be playful?

Itachi flicks his tied hair behind him as speaks, trying to coax Madara conversation, drawing my attention to a mark on his neck.

He has one too, just like Madara... He also had quite a few hickies...

I suppose I hadn't noticed the mark yesterday due to my inability(fear) to look at him. Now, though, while they were so distracted with each other, I could watch discreetly.

I could see this mark well, as it wasn't obscured by wild hair. I narrowed my eyes to read 'speckled' and tried to figure out what kind of-

What the...

Why would Itachi have Madara's name on his neck?

The answer to my question does not come so immediately, but I here a shocked gasp from Kurama as he slowly comes to speaking.

**They're mates.**

And I could hear the disbelief in Kyuubi's tone, almost breathless and on the verge of hysterical laughter, not knowing how else to react. The information seemed as new to him as it was to me.

_But-... They're both-... And aren't they related?_

Kurama smacked his gums as he dramatically licked his teeth.

**It's different with their kind, kit. It is the same for my kind. They are bound and there's nothing they can do about it. I just think it's humorous that it happened to Madara of all people...**

_Why? I don't understand how him being 'Madara' really makes it diff-_

**Trust me, kit. It does. Madara is... 'different' all by himself. And with Itachi and Sasuke being descendants, they are different as well, even in clan standards...**

I rolled my eyes, trying to digest the vague information as best I could.

_Like, because they kill people all the time?_

Kyuubi mused to himself, making me wish I could read his thoughts like he could read mine. Honestly, it wasn't fair...

**Madara is like a certain human folklore, and the other two as well, I can smell it on them, just not as overbearingly strong.**

Human folklore? _Like mermaids?_

**No, idiot. They are like... The 'vampires', but different, for demons I suppose. **

For the first time that class, I wasn't watching Madara. I looked at the boy next to me, sheer terror painted across my face.

Red eyes, black hair, white skin, beautiful. Jesus Christ, why hadn't I seen it before?!

"What's your deal, Dobe?" He was giving me that look... Oh no, he was trying to seduce me into giving him my blood!

I stared at him a little longer, absorbing his annoyed and slightly freaked out expression to figure out that drinking me dry wasn't even one his mind, and that he was just naturally seductive.

Wait, that could be a vampire trait too! That explained everythi-

"Uzumaki, approach my desk..."

I went completely deaf, dropping my train of thought completely. It was like everything went into slow-motion, so much so that it was almost frame by frame. No one moved, though, making reality seem paused. It didn't even feel like reality to me.

_This is it. He saw me..._

_He knows..._

It was the first time he had truly spoken, and his eyes no longer sleepy and intimate, but strong and intimidating like his deep, booming voice, almost as if it were reflecting his power.

The silence had become so unbearable that it brought a ring to my ears, low pitched and steadily increasing in volume. Sasuke wasn't looking at me, that was all I could see since I hadn't moved, and I broke myself out of the trance to look dead at Madara, who wasn't looking at me at all.

He hadn't looked at me this entire time, not once in class.

But, how did he know my name?

I followed his line of sight to that spunky room-mate of Sakura's, watching as she glared at everyone who stared as she spoke, "That's not my name, sir." She lied smoothly, almost robotic in her tone of voice. "You must have me confus-"

"Approach. My. Desk." His voice left no room for argument, even Itachi had backed away from him, his eyes on Karin as she nervously walked forward.

The younger Uchiha at the desk glared across the room at the nosy students, promising torturous punishment for all who continued to look at them, and the entire class immersed themselves into meaningless conversation, making it hard to eaves drop on what was being said up front.

Not even Neji or Gaara were brave enough to keep staring, but I think they just wanted an excuse to talk together.

Hell, even Itachi wasn't involved in the conversation. He was speaking quietly with Shikamaru, probably with the pretense of not listening to the interesting conversation happening near them, but I could tell both of them were secretly eaves dropping.

Hm, it was pretty interesting to think that Itachi was trying to be a 'good mate' and know his place, keeping his nose out of Madara's business, or at least pretending to do so.

I hear Kyuubi scoff, probably at my lack of understanding. Well, I didn't see _him _putting forth any theories...

The room was loud with chatter now, everyone afraid to cross 'Kurosawa'. The humans- because he was their teacher, the demons- because they could smell power on him.

No, the only people who kept watching was me and Sasuke, though I was doing so as discreetly as possible.

Sasuke seemed worried, almost, exceedingly focused on what was going on up there. Maybe Karin was his secret girlfriend? Maybe she let him drink her blood... What if Madara and Itachi wanted some Uzumaki blood, too?

Oh God, _I _have Uzumaki blood!

**Uzumaki clansmen are famous for their chakra and power, not their blood.**

_But wouldn't that be _in _my blood?_

**That may be, but he is mated, he is not interested in _her_, or you for that matter, he wants only his mate.**

It was a hard concept for me to grasp, wanting only from one person, pining only for one person. It was like they were married. I wondered if they were in love, if they did kinky vampire stuff in bed.

From what I hear from Deidara, Itachi was kind of a frea-

_Wait! If Madara only has eyes for Itachi, why isn't it the other way around?_

**What do you mean, kit?**

_Well, Itachi and Deidara messed around a lot. If Itachi was all hot for Madara, why go to Deidara? Doesn't he 'want only his mate', too?_

**It could be many things. Madara's blood is much older, much more pure. The bond could be appealing to both parts of Madara's blood, his Uchiha blood as well as his darker, 'special' blood, so it would effect him more than it would Itachi. Or perhaps it could be that Madara has only just emerged or been unsealed, as the monster cannot die.**

Woah, woah, woah! _He can't die? Even immortals can die!_

**You and I refer to different immortals. He cannot die, his blood will not let him. He can go into a coma if not given sufficient sustenance or provisions, but at receiving those things he will awaken. He is like a parasite, a vermin...**

Fuck.

Well, at least that theory explained Itachi suddenly cutting off Deidara. He had his mate back, he didn't need a fuck-buddy any more.

_But wouldn't it be the same if they both had the same blood?_

**Well, it could be the purity thing. Madara, despite the meaning behind his name, is indeed pure-breed. Inbreed, even. He has old, untainted blood of the dark Uchiha. Itachi has had many generations before him, so his blood, despite it's similar darkness, wouldn't be _quite _like Madara's.**

That makes sense I guess... I could only assume that Kurama was talking about the vampire-stuff when here referred to 'darkness', but the gist was clear. Itachi comes from Madara's mutated line of Uchiha.

Ha, Itachi was fucking his uncle... or Grandfather... or... Whatever, they're related! It's weird!

I look toward the front, my eyes alternating between Itachi and his mate. They look close to the same age, but I suppose that didn't mean anything for immortals. Hell, I was going to be forever twenty five when my body stopped growing.

But they were a little different.

I shiver,_ Doesn't that make Madara a pedophile? Ew, talk about bangin' a grampa... No wonder the guy looked so distracted, he was probably trying to remember where he put the Viagra..._

**I first encountered Madara before I was even fully grown, that shall tell you how old he is. As for the male enhancement, Uchiha Madara has always been a very sexual creature, most Uchiha are.**

… _What do you mean the first time you encountered Madara?_

And Silence. Of course.

… **I will explain at another time, Kit...**

Sure you will.

I brush it off, looking for where Karin had scurried off to in my musings. I figured she would've jumped out the freaking window to escape that glare Madara had been giving her, but oddly enough, she was just sitting back in her seat.

It was like Madara had just called her up there to stare at her or something.

I look to Sasuke, watching as he listened to what Karin was saying to Sakura across the class room. Sasuke would have heard Madara, right?

I pretend he isn't there as I gather my things, jumping into the exiting crowd so I wouldn't be seen by either of my Sensei.

Now, here I am, waiting for his _slow ass-_

I hear a knock at the door, followed by a muffled 'Let me in, Dobe.' and I open my door.

"You are invited in." He gave me a look.

"What are you talking about, moron, no shit I'm invited in..." I frown.

Don't you have to invite vampires in before they can enter your house?

… **Your idiocy still catches me by surprise sometimes, Kit.**

Not nice...

Sasuke sat on my bed, glaring at me. I was about to say something but he interrupted, heading straight to the point.

"How do you know I'm an Uchiha?" I sighed, going with a half-lie, knowing he had been in my house, in my room.

"Well, you know Deidara..."

"Your brother." He said with a smirk, trying to rattle me with his 'significant' knowledge, making me no longer feel the need to say anything delicately.

"Yes, my brother, the one _your _brother was fucking every other week." He backed up, obviously unaware of Itachi's activities.

I continued, "That's how I recognized Itachi, he left his _scent _all over my brother's bed sheets, and when I saw how similar you guys looked, I knew you were related."

Sasuke glared at the floor, probably uncomfortable with seeing his 'prim and proper' brother in a sexual light.

Hey, if I have to listen to Deidara's sexcapades, I definitely don't want to hear him complaining!

Hell, I probably knew more about Itachi than Sasuke!

Speaking of that, I have to ask,"You know he is in Akatsuki, right?" Sasuke lifted his head slightly, raising a brow.

"Yes. You are awa-"

"Yeah, Deidara is too."

He looked down at his hands before speaking, "I know quite a bit about them from-"

"Orochimaru?" I guess, and it seems my assumption had been correct when he lifts his head in a glare.

"-Yes, Orochimaru... He was apart of the organization, and since Itachi was too, I heard about it quite a bit..." I lift my brow.

This was news to me.

If Orochimaru had been in Akatsuki, then he had taken part in the hunting of my fellow Jinchuuriki. If there were monsters like that snake involved, who knows what kind of other evil bastards were looking capture us?

All of the recent attacks from them had been fruitless, but Sandaime thinks they were tests. It makes sense, to me at least, but the council of won't have it. They simply assumed that Akatsuki wasn't as strong as they seemed, but even I knew that to be false. Akatsuki would use different tactics to initiate battle with one of the nine Jinchuuriki, then leave after a certain point in the fight.

Killer Bee told me that they exhausted Yugito Nii to the point of almost collapsing, before they just up and left. She had heard them talking about coming back to take her after they got the ichibi. If they were trying to capture her, why not capture her when she was vulnerable, why just leave?

The council was sure that Akatsuki was simply over-estimated, but Uchiha Itachi was apart of it, so I had no idea where they got that notion.

And that freak Orochimaru was involved?

It seemed that I, not to mention my allies, was missing many pieces to this puzzle.

Pieces that Uchiha Sasuke just may have...

"I... I need to know what you know." He didn't seem to fancy the idea of sharing those pieces, making me think that he didn't know as much as he let on...

"Why..."

I huff, "Look, we can't keep 'throwing each other under the bus' in public. One loose comment and Neji or whoever will report both of us to Konoha!"

"So your village is Konoha?"

Damn it!

I glare at his smirk. He thinks he's in the clear, that nothing will happen to him.

"Your clan was once apart of Konoha. If I go down, Uchiha, I'm taking you with me."

The smirk falls, "Oh? And how would you go about doing that, Dobe?" The way he cranes his neck is slightly intimidating for some reason, it gives me the 'familiar stranger' kind of feeling, so I ask Kyuubi what it means.

**It is indeed an intimidation tactic. He is trying to threaten you.**

Ha!

I stand, towering over his still-sitting form. "I could go about it many ways, Uchiha. I could start with revealing your connections with Orochimaru, or even better, I could report _all three _of your creepy asses to council, and then they'll-"

"How do you know there are three of us?" Damn my big fat mouth...

He stood up, slightly taller than me(It was his spiky hair, I promise.) and stared me straight in the face.

"You know, Dobe, you were acting pretty strange in Kurosawa's class, as soon as you walked in. You may smell human, but you've got some pretty keen senses, don't you think?" I glared up at him, not backing down as he continues.

"And don't think I didn't notice how you froze when he spoke. That only leaves two possibilities." Okay, _now _I'm backing down. My eyes widen and moved around the room, around Sasuke's smirking face.

He smirks, knowing he's correct, "One could be that you know _exactly _who he is, which is strange, but another could be that _you _were the Uzumaki he felt..." I look at him slightly confused as to how he knew that before realizing that he was trying to bluff to protect Karin.

"It's obvious that Karin is Uzumaki, her bright red hair, her chakra, her personality-" I cut myself off, not wanting to give away that I knew so much. Jeez, for someone who was trying to keep secrets I sure was good at blurting them out...

He smirks, "Hn, so it's both?"

I sneer as he moves closer, our eyes now about six inches apart and I feel like I could reach up and touch the line of tension between our eyes.

Sasuke's voice seems take a devious tone, "You are Uzumaki, is that what ties you to Madara, perhaps? Your ancestor's affiliation with the Senju clan?"

My head hurts, and for some reason I don't know what to say. Kyuubi is silent, musing, so I do the same, formulating a symbiotic plan. I had always been known to think on my feet.

The pros and cons were of equal weight, making for a difficult decision, and I struggled to come up with a solution to my current dilemma.

An Uchiha that has figured out my name, who knows my village, as well as my rank, my comrades and my brother.

Then again, I also knew _his _name, _his _ties to Orochimaru, and _his _family.

But he also had Madara, who was presumably on his side.

But I had Konoha, who in turn had Council, and as crooked as the Council was, they would _have _to take the side of the obvious 'good guy', The Leaf Village.

Madara still sounded pretty intimidating, though, even against the world...

"Well, Dobe?" Ugh, this is so hard! There's so much to lose, but if I play my cards right, there's so much to gain.

I look up at him, into his eyes as he battles some inner turmoil of his own. We both had questions, and we both had answers.

But was getting answers worth it?

In his eyes, I could see many different things; desperation, insanity, loneliness, evil, hatred, and strength. But among those, as well as many other awkward and introverted personality quirks, I saw a strange form of loyalty. I could imagine this man(demon, or whatever,) protecting something.

And that's what I stuck with.

I inhaled, ignoring the fox's raving in the back of my head. "Uchiha, I need..." He lifted an eyebrow and squinted his already squinty asian eyes, making me pause and think of my dream where he walked in purple fire.

I shake my head, forcing out the words, "I need... We both have things to hide from, and I think we should help... hide each other."

He gives me a strange look. "What do you mean, Dobe?"

I look down and bring my hand to scratch behind my head, a nervous thinking gesture I'd always had.

"Like a pact, y'know? We're pretty much on opposing sides, right?" He frowned.

"Hn. You could say that,"

I sigh, "Well, if we have someone watchin' our back, it'll be pretty difficult for someone to take us out, don't you think?"

He gave a half-nod, making it hard to tell if he agreed or disagreed. Jeez, this asshole sure had something against being cooperative...

"Ugh, Look, I could watch out for Council and Konoha, because they would be the ones to handle you, and I could keep them off your back, as well as your _relative's_." I say, not hiding my obvious dislike toward the thought of his kin.

Sasuke smirked, amused at my disdain for the other Uchiha. Jerk.

His smirk revealed unnaturally white teeth when he opened his mouth to speak. "And in turn, I protect you from whom?"

I hesitate. I didn't really like the way he said 'protect'. It's like I could hear the personality flaws I saw in his eyes. The insanity.

At this point, I hear a particularly loud growl from Kyuubi, but I had long tuned out his words. He wouldn't see it this way, but having the youngest Uchiha on my side is the wisest thing I could do, especially since he already knew so much, so I wasn't about to let his grudge cloud my judgement.

"I need you to protect me, and in turn my friends, from Orochimaru, Akatsuki, and... Madara."

Sasuke frowned. "Akatsuki... They are only against you if you are a..." He lifted an eyebrow but I didn't answer his silent question verbally, something that apparently annoyed him.

He glared and his eyes flashed, making the chakra of the necklace around flare as Kyuubi's energy spiked angrily in response to his threat.

**I will gouge out his spinning red eyes!**

But they never turned red.

Well, actually, I wouldn't know, since I threw a mean uppercut to his chin, pushing his head, and eyes, up and backwards with the force so he couldn't get into my head.

"Don't even think about it, you bastard!"

He bounces back, gripping his jaw and glaring even harder.

"What the fuck, Dobe?!"

I glare back, "I know what you were trying to do! There's no way I'm gonna let you control me with your creepy eyes!"

Sasuke straightens his posture, still glaring at me, less angry, more confused.

"What are you talking about..."

I feel Kyuubi send me unsure vibes, "Well, I... I thought you were gonna put me under genjutsu and, uh, control me or something..."

Sasuke's expression turned icy and he stepped toward me, sending chills down my spine.

And I wasn't sure if they were good or bad...

"Uzumaki," He paused to smirk at my frown, "You will tell me where you have learned these things about me, now, or my relatives will get it out of you."

What?!

What a fucking asshole! Was he really going back on our deal before it's even made?

"Listen, you prick, I-" and all of the sudden, he's in my personal bubble.

I close my eyes when I feel his energy shift, and I just know his eyes are doing that freaky kaleidoscope thing.

Thirty seconds pass in silence and I reluctantly crack open my eyes. All I see is spikey black hair.

I open my all the way and look down, "...What are you doing?"

He lifts his head and I can't help being captivated by the red eyes that meet mine. They look different from the eyes I saw in my dream, the strange patterns being replaced by these weird comma things that seem eerily familiar.

"Dobe, what is this necklace?" I blink, breaking myself out of a slight daze of deja vu, struggling to come up with something believable, asking Kyuubi to help me out.

**He can see the Senju chakra surrounding your body. You've dug this hole yourself, get out of it yourself.**

_Kurama, this is me and you!_

**It wasn't me and you when you decided to make a deal with my mortal enemy. You know nothing of these monsters!**

"Dobe, are you seizing? Answer me, idiot."

I blink back into reality. "Uh, that's kind of a small part of this deal we're making..."

**Don't even! He is the very flesh of Madara, you cannot trust him! He will remain loyal only to his kin!**

_Well, that's gotta count for something, right? _

**You don't understand-**

"I'll show you..."

I release a deep breath, slowly removing my shirt before gripping the little blue chrystal.

"Listen, Teme, I'm trusting you. If you kill me, you will spend the rest of your life running, I promise it."

Sasuke snorts, but stops me before I can remove the necklace.

"Tell me what you're about to do." I sigh.

"I need you to help me figure something out, because the damn fox sure as hell won't."

His eyes narrow, "What?"

"The little dots in your eyes, they, uh... Look, I'll just show you!"

Sasuke's hand reaches out, grabbing my arm to halt it's movement, but the necklace repels him.

When it drops to the ground, the seal becomes visible once again.

He gapes at my chest, "What are you?" And I have to laugh at him.

"It's not obvious yet? Just tell me what these little apostrophe's are, and no Sharingan funny business, got it? I swear, if you try to hypno-"

He sighs,"You have Itachi and I confused, I can't control you or hypnotize you, I can only achieve a lesser hypnosis. Tsukuyomi isn't my forte, Amaterasu is."

I don't know what the hell those things are, but I assume that they're Uchiha techniques and that he can't warp my brain like Itachi or Madara would.

"What about the black fire?"

He narrows his eyes once more, "That is Amaterasu, how do you know these things?"

"Look, just tell me what's all over my seal, damnit!"

Sasuke sighed, annoyed with me already. "They are called tomoe. What is that?" He asks, pointing to my seal.

I nervously pick up the necklace and he watches in amazement as my seal and whiskers disappear.

He moves to touch it, but is once again repelled. "You can't touch it with your Sharingan activated..."

He rubbed his eyes, "How do you know these things? Why do you have something like that?"

I look down, thinking. If we did this the way I planned, then he would _need_ to know certain things...

**No. Don't do this, Kit. We can't trust him...**

I ignore Kyuubi, "Uchiha Sasuke." He looks up, glaring, angry that he had yet to get his answers. "We are both hiding, and the consequences of either of us being caught would most definitely be worse than death." Sasuke looks serious now, and I continue. "We can keep each other's secrets, because, like I said earlier, if I go down, you're coming with me, and so will Madara and Itachi, especially Madara, becau-"

"How. Do. You. Know? You have yet to answer me." He still had his Sharingan and it made his glare even worse.

I sigh, looking to the ground, "I-I need you to agree to watch out for me, first. I'll do the same for you."

There was a long silence, a few minutes I guess but it felt painfully awkward and long.

He moves his hand forward, a gesture of agreement, and I try to shake it, but the necklace rejects his contact.

"You need to deactivate your-"

"Take the necklace off. If we are on the same side, I will not harm you." Sasuke smirked, making it sound like he meant the opposite. He made it seem like I needed his protection more, like I couldn't hurt him too.

I growl, gripping the necklace as I glared at him. "Don't think I can't kick your ass, Uchiha." and I drop the necklace once more, making him gawk at the large seal that took over my stomach as it squirmed with Kyuubi's angry red chakra. I force my chin down, trying to look at the weird line of comma on my upper chest, almost decorating my collarbone.

"So, they're tomoe, huh?"

"Those aren't tomoe... What are you, Dobe?" I looked up to see his Sharingan spinning madly, taking everything in.

**He can sense me...**

That's weird.

I grab his chin and force his eyes to mine, but nothing happens.

**Do not even think about it-**

"How do you get in my head?" He blinked before his eye twitched and rapidly changed, looking like the eyes in the dream, and suddenly, we were in front of Kyuubi's chamber.

_Sasuke looked around, seeing me standing in front of him. He took a step forward before he saw the enormous cage behind me, his movement faltering._

"_Dobe, what-"_

**Young Uchiha...**

_Sasuke's eyes alternate between me and Kyuubi, unsure of what exactly was happening. He glared, not knowing what else to do._

"_What the hell is going on?" _

_The Kyuubi laughed and I kept silent, knowing better than to talk about Kyuubi like he's not there. It would be even worse in his chambers._

**Such eyes, you remind me of Uchiha Madara. **

_Now I glared. I didn't want to be in a pact with someone similar to that monster... I suppose that's what Kyuubi was trying to say when he told me not to do this..._

_Oh well, done screwed myself now..._

_I lift my head and meet Sasuke's wide eyes._

"_This is what I'm hiding, Sasuke, this is how I know everything. Protect me from Madara and Itachi and I'll protect you from Konoha and anyone else who would destroy you. Do we have a deal?"_

_Sasuke looked from me to the giant fox demon three or four times before nodding hesitantly, probably just to get the hell out of here, and Kyuubi forces him out of my head._

Uchiha breaks the genjutsu with a gasp, making it sound like he had just resurfaced after being held under water.

"You're a Jinchuuriki..."

I didn't meet his eyes, but I nodded.

He's silent for a bit, "Orochimaru was interested in your kind for awhile, when he was apart of Akatsuki, before left to pursue me after Itachi joined..."

I look up, eyes wide. "Orochimaru... Pursued you? _You're _the escaped apprentice?!"

He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, but made no move to deny it. This guy is the reason Gaara's father is dead!

Well, the guy was kind of scum anyway, but still!

"So... You escaped Orochimaru and seek refuge from the guy who killed your family? And Madara, who's responsible for _so _many deaths, is just conveniently here? What the-"

"Dobe, don't talk about this like you understand." I shut my mouth, looking at him from under my lashes. The puppy-dog eyes seemed to work on even Sasuke when he glared and sighed, sitting on my bed and explaining the Orochimaru situation.

"I didn't flee... Madara told me that-" He stopped himself, obviously struggling with telling me this.

I sit next to him, leaving a large gap between me and my new ally. "You know, this probably fits under the category of secrets that I'll need to know. I'll keep my word, Teme. You can trust me."

He frowned, probably not used to trust but continued after awhile of silence. "Itachi killed the clan because they were corrupt. It was an order from the council, and he did it to protect me."

I gaped.

Sasuke sighed, telling me about Orochimaru, the memories he had taken, the things Sasuke had done under Orochimaru and the night Itachi took him.

My mouth opened and shut multiple times before I actually thought of something to say, still trying to wrap my head around the truth. "So... Itachi isn't, um, psycho?"

He gave me a look that suggested he was both annoyed and amused. "No, Dobe. He's my brother."

I smiled, making him look uneasy. "What's that grin about, Dobe?"

I tried to hide it, but I was never good at hiding smiles. "Nothing, you just make me miss Deidara. Y'know, he's protecting me too. I just, I dunno..."

He smirks at me, "You're a complete sap, Dobe." I growl.

"Sorry for having feelings, you cold bastard!" He rolls his eyes and we stay quiet for awhile, thinking.

It was mind-blowing, finally understanding why Deidara and Itachi got along so well. They were both good guys parading around as heartless assholes. It was good to know that there were still people out there who weren't the mindless killers they were made out to be.

But Madara was still crazy. I just couldn't see that guy as anything other than evil, and I sure as _hell _couldn't see him cuddling up to anyone, especially not Itachi of all people.

"So... Does the whole Madara and Itachi thing freak you out at all?" I mean, knowing your brother is sleeping with your distant relative has got to bother him a bit, especially with Madara being a billion years older than them.

Surprisingly, though, Sasuke just shrugged. "Not really, I keep getting vague memories from my childhood about them. They were always together, even when Itachi was young, so it doesn't really surprise me. I guess you just build up a connection with your sensei..."

The way Sasuke worded that was vague, like he didn't want to reveal his brother's relationship. I chalked it up to him being embarrassed about it, ignoring the blank spaces in his statement in favor of taking in the understandable parts.

"Madara was Itachi's _sensei_?!"

He glared at my shocked face, "I thought you knew that already..."

I shake my head, sputtering a bit, "Jesus, the fox can only sense so much!" At reminding myself of the fox's existence I remember to put my shirt and necklace back on.

Sasuke grimaced, "I don't like that necklace..."

I roll my eyes at the comment, lost in the new information with Kyuubi.

**It explains Itachi's skill and control.**

_We should watch how they interact. _

**Don't get noticed, Kit. You've already fucked us over.**

"What are you doing, Dobe?"

I look up to find him staring at me. "Talking to Kurama." He narrowed his eyes.

I realize his confusion, trying to explain. "It's Kyuubi's name. Only Madara and I, and now you I guess, know that. I think Madara is using it to lure out the Kyuubi." I stop, looking down before meeting his dark eyes. "That's why I need your help, bastard. He can't find me. If he does, it won't be good for anyone."

For a second, I tensed, ready for him to say 'Ha, fuck that, I'll just kill you and hunt your friends.'

Instead, he grimaced, but nodded, looking away once more to get lost in his own thoughts.

_I thought you said they were heartless?_

**I never said that, they have hearts, but only for themselves. He is doing this to protect his own kind.**

I thought about that for a second, frowning. _So am I? He's kind of protecting his family, so he can't be pure evil..._

**You misunderstand the Uchiha, kit. They are all linked, and they can only appreciate things of their own nature. He's protecting his family out of instinct, it's wired in him. It is not 'love'.**

Part of me wanted to believe Kurama was only exaggerating, or that perhaps his demon-speak simply wasn't giving him the ability to find the right words that fit the proper meaning. I suppose it was me trying to find the good in people, because Kyuubi was making Sasuke and his relatives seem like animals.

I glance at him, taking in his appealing features, avoiding his piercing eyes.

_I don't think I understand what you're trying to say... They are... wired?_

I hear a rumbling sigh echo through my head and I feel Sasuke watching me as I converse with the Kyuubi.

**You have noticed that they all look and act similarly, correct?**

I nod, then mentally slap myself for doing so.

**They... What is the word... they 'conform' to the dominant Uchiha.**

_What?_

**An Uchiha by himself is trouble enough, kit. But when they are grouped together, they all take from a leader. It is how Madara had so easily corrupted the clan and became such a tyrant in his days.**

I tried not to outwardly gape with Sasuke in the room.

_So they all turn into puppets? And the 'Alpha' Uchiha is the puppet master?_

I can feel Kyuubi getting frustrated. **It is not so simple. The dominant one does not do it on purpose, ****and the other clansmen do not become clones of the leader. He simply rubs off on them almost. It's how they stay close-knit and loyal.**

God, nothing made sense!

Kyuubi continued, sensing my frustration. **It is basically a way to be sure the other Uchiha can all agree on one thing; whatever the leader says.**

_So the strongest dude is in charge and everyone suddenly jocks his personality?_

**They are still themselves, they are just subjected to his tendencies. If the 'Alpha' is violent and blood-thirsty, the clan will be prone to such acts, but they will not exact them. It will just be a loud calling, to do as the leader, but they are still unique to themselves.**

_So why don't they just choose a strong, chill guy? So they'll still be dangerous, but they won't be psycho._

He growls, becoming irritated with my lack of understanding, or quite possibly his inability to explain.

**Uchiha cannot 'choose' who it is, and it is not always based off of raw power. Even if Madara had been the strongest of his time, it was not his strength that put him into power. The dominant Uchiha is usually someone who is manipulative, cunning, and fearsome, but it is also someone who is attractive.**

_...So you have to be sexy to be top dog?_

**Attractive, kit. One who attracts. As I said, Uchiha do not 'choose'. It is the nature of the leader that brings him to power. Uchiha Madara had been able to suck people in, make it easy for them to follow him without him trying. It is certain, unexplainable things that 'attracts' the Uchiha to their leader, Madara had simply been a bad decision on nature's part. No one that corrupt should be so seductive.**

Why were Uchiha so complicated?

So, basically Madara's 'aura' is what made him leader? I had a strange image of pale skinned and dark haired youth all watching Madara, unable to control the need to conform to his ways. It was creepy.

Were they away of it? Was it something taught, or was it a feeling in their gut when they saw him? It made me curious about them. Gazing at Madara for the first time, did they think 'He is our leader.' or was it simply a pull, some force that compelled them.

I looked at Sasuke, who was once again watching me with those eyes. Perhaps he _was_ an animal. I suppose I would expect stuff like this from the Inuzuka clan, as it seemed natural, but from them it was almost spooky.

I didn't want Sasuke to be like Madara. He was a bastard, but there was something about him that called out to me. I wondered if he was like me and Gaara.

Tch, it figures, I always get myself lumped together with the emotional baggage kids. I couldn't help it though, some people just needed some lovin', and I was a pretty affectionate guy who happened to have lots of love to go around.

But could I buddy up with Sasuke, work with him, protect him if he were slowly turning into Madara?

Sure, Kyuubi said they were still themselves, but if Sasuke became the monster that Kyuubi made Madara out to be...

**He _is _a monster, kit. His ways are not the only things about him that are contagious to his kin.**

Huh?

**His similar folklore. If Sasuke and his brother are with Madara, the same disease will awaken within them. They were spared when the clan was eliminated; there were no Uchiha of that specific bloodline for them to conform to when they were done aging.**

_So Sasuke isn't a vampire-thing? _Whew, big sigh of relief. A small part of me that had been nervous relaxed.

**Not yet, kit. But at this age, he should begin his 'freeze'. With Madara's presence, he is sure to become blood-thirsty.**

And the nervousness is back. _W-would he eat us?_

**It is a possibility. Are you dedicated to protecting him?**

My brows furrow at the question, thrown off by it's randomness.

_I never go back on my word, Kurama. You know that._

A sigh is heard, **Then you can stop it, maybe.**

..._Whaaat?_

**They are not 'vampires'. This rare kink in their gene pool simply mirrors some aspects of those legends. Where vampires are born with the need, those select few Uchiha with the trait have it awakened. **

_So all I have to do is check up on him, cool. _I kept imagining myself walking up to Sasuke every now and then, whispering to him, "Been craving people-food lately?". It was a funny thought.

**He will crave, kit. He must be watched if he enters that state. If he tastes blood at that time, there is no turning back. It will be an addiction that he couldn't drop and he will reach a high, both in mind and power. **

I looked to Sasuke, unsure of what emotions were flickering across my face. Judging by Sasuke's expression, they weren't the kind he liked seeing.

"If you're going to talk to yourself all day I'm leaving." With a frown, he made his way to the door, intent on walking out. Without really knowing what I was doing, I grabbed for his sleeve, pushing down the flinch when his cold eyes glared at me. He seemed so lonely and it made me think about what Kyuubi had said about his family. Just because he protected them, didn't mean he had their love.

I can't imagine Itachi being the overly affectionate type, not like my brother. I would have been like Sasuke if it hadn't been for Deidara, always talking with me when he came home, joking and playing around.

Did Sasuke have people to joke around with?

His hard gaze was boring into me, "What, Dobe?" I falter, letting go of his shirt.

"Uh..." He raises his eyebrow.

"Yes?"

I say the first thing that pops into my head, "Do you want to hang out?"

He stares at me incredulously and I mentally face-palm. Why do I always have to blurt out the most awkward things?

"What did you say, Dobe?"

I sigh, looking to the side, wondering when the floor got so interesting.

With a breath, I try to find the words to explain myself. "Well, I thought since we would be looking out from each other from now on that, I don't know, we could get to know each other? You know, talk? Have an actual conversation that doesn't involve you being a prick." It made sense, and it was a pretty valid argument, so he couldn't call me an idiot.

"You're an idiot."

Okay, so he could.

I thought he was about to bolt, but instead he turned so that his entire body faced me once more and he stared at me almost suspiciously, as if he were weary of my intentions.

"What would we talk about, exactly?" I frowned, shrugging.

"Well, we could just talk. You could tell me about Orochimaru or your brother or something. I personally love talking about my brother, my teachers too, but that could be because they're all eccentric..."

He narrowed his eyes at me, making me stop mid-ramble.

"You only want to know about those things to betray me, Dobe."

He had an angry sneer eating up his face and I became annoyed, but I also became a bit sad. Gaara used to say things like that. He even had a similar look when he said it. Sasuke needed someone to trust, that much was obvious.

"I'm on your side, remember? I'm going to watch your back with my all. I never go back on my word. Besides, if I sell you out, I'm sure you'll do the same to me, and I don't need you putting out a hit on me or my friends."

Sasuke looked unsure so I grinned and sat down on my bed, waving him over to sit down as well. He awkwardly followed my lead, and as soon as he was seated, I began talking. It was mostly a rant, my muses, my complaints and quite a few of my secrets. Kyuubi was threatening to set my body on fire with his crazy chakra but I ignored him. I felt bad that I/Kyuubi knew so much about him and he knew so little about us. It was kind of an unfair advantage to have in our deal and I'd always been a noble guy.

We chat for awhile, mostly me talking and answering the questions that had been bugging him.

"You... dreamt about me?"

I turned read, scratching behind my head again.

"Eheh, kind of... I think it's because my bed smelt like you after you slept in it, and, well, Kyuubi is all Uchiha-sensitive..." He smirks as I awkwardly explain the dream, even let's his eyebrows twitch when I get to the part where I thought he was hot.

I so could have left that out...

I had been talking for a straight half-hour before he replied to anything. I'd been ranting about how confusing the crazy seal on my body was becoming and how I was scared to tell anyone else about it and he had hummed. It wasn't much, but it showed that he was listening. I began asking his opinion, engaging him so that I wasn't talking _at _him.

"It seems to have everything to do with Madara's awakening." And I frowned, but nodded, pleased that he was helping out.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you say those marks showed up about a week ago, that's when Madara resurfaced." I hum in understanding, nodding.

Why didn't Kyuubi just tell me that?

I feel the fox bristle within his chambers when Sasuke speaks once more.

"Your reaction shouldn't be so intense though. I haven't had very much physical training with Sharingan, as there were no Uchiha when I was with Orochimaru, but I did study the history of the clan, as well as our roots to the Rikudou Sennin." I lean forward, listening intently to what could possibly be the answers Kyuubi refuses to give me.

"I think the the 'tomoe' on your seal are actually magatama, a decorative sage jewelry he wore and channeled his chakra through. They're extremely old, ancient even, and haven't been used in like two thousand years."

I raise my eyebrow, "I don't understand what they're doing on me, though..."

Sasuke glanced at me, then to the necklace hiding my seal once more. "Orochimaru wears a form of magatama through his pierced ears. He told me about them, how his own family wore them for centuries in hopes of attracting the Uchiha clan, mostly the main family, AKA, Madara's descendents. Apparently, Senju and Uchiha directly descend from the Rikudou Sennin."

"Okay, but-"

"Don't interrupt, Dobe. I'm getting to it." I nod, pouting, and he rolls his eyes.

"What I'm saying is, the fact that these are showing up on you, or Kurama I guess, is strange, because if what you've told me about the Kyuubi-Konoha attack is true, they shouldn't be there."

I frown, then frown harder as I feel Kurama sink within me, like he's crawling to the very back of his cage.

Sasuke continues, "Even if Madara made a mental and physical connection with Kyuubi, they shouldn't be so tied to each other. After a genjutsu is ended, so is the mental connection."

I let it soak in, trying to figure out what it means.

_Kurama... What haven't you told me?_

**...Madara controlled me.**

I roll my eyes. _Duh, I knew _that.

**No, kit. He controlled me, I was his.**

Sasuke watches me with concerned eyes, "What is he saying, Dobe?"

I shake my head, unable to answer.

_I don't- What do you mean?_

**Exactly that, you little worm, he owned me.**

_Like... Like a pet?_

**Like a summons.**

My eyes pop open as my jaw drops.

No way!

To have Kyuubi as a summons?! What kind of monster is this guy?!

"What is it, Dobe?"

I shakily relay the message, watching as he frowns.

"It seems we are learning many things... Why would the fox hide that from you?"

**It's a rather humiliating concept, kit. He knows everything about me, as I know everything about him. We were completely connected, yet we were not equal. Madara is no pleasant master.**

_Do you think it is the same with Itachi?_

I hear a rumbling laugh, **Only time will tell that, kit, but their bond is a bit different, and I haven't been truly connected with Madara in centuries.**

_How did you escape?_

The same laugh rings again, but louder. **There was no escaping, kit! I was torn from him by Senju in their last battle. The worst kind of pain. That is how I got stuck in your family line. An even worse fate than Madara.**

I gave a nervous laugh, unsure if he was joking. Surely he isn't serious, right? As if Madara was better than Uzumaki or Senju?

**It is half serious, Kit. Madara is a foul creature, but he had reason. Your ancestors lived off of luck, and were often overly confident about their good fortune rather than their power. Only a handful of your ancestors were powerful, even less were tolerable, speaking to me like a vermin.**

Woah, there's some family history I could have lived without...

"Dobe?"

I grimace, "I have a name, you know..." Sasuke only smirked.

"Do you?" I laughed. Hey, this guy wasn't half bad. He was even pleasant in his own socially retarded, cold bastard-ish way.

My laugh slowly died off and a comfortable silence settled between me and my new ally.

"Sasuke?"

He turns to me, "Hn?"

I smile briefly and roll my eyes before speaking again, "What do you think of the Senju clan?"

Sasuke looks down, his expression stony and unreadable for a few moments.

"I have those dreams that give me short, miniscule flashbacks to my family. A few gatherings, nightmares, one-on-one talks with my mother and Itachi, never my father, and the occasional tag-along behind Madara and Itachi. Out of all of those, I've only heard neutral things about Senju. Madara hates him, but no one else ever spoke much about it." I nod, frowning.

I would hate to think of my ancestors in such a bad light, to be called more unpleasant than the Uchiha, at least ego-wise, but I'm sure Sasuke hears awful things about his ancestors all the time, so I can't whine about it.

"I see..." is my sighed reply.

I feel Sasuke's eyes on me. "I don't think I will ever fully remember my clan, or my own personal history before Orochimaru for that matter, so I have no personal opinion of you for that. Other than the fact that you're an annoying idiot."

I snort, "I could easily wipe the floor with you, if you wanna keep it up."

He gets up, "As much as I want to see you embarrass yourself, I have things to do. We should definitely reschedule that fight, though, loser."

I grit my teeth, but accept the insults in good nature, reminding myself that the guy is a bit handicapped in the personality department. He opens the door, "Give my most hateful regards to Hyuuga." and he moves to leave.

"Teme,"

Sasuke turns his head, still walking out as I come up behind him and grab his hand.

"Wha-" But he stops as I give the hand a firm shake.

There's an awkward look that overtakes him, but he grunts and returns the gesture.

"Thanks, Teme."

I shut the door as he turns and releases my hand, leaving it unlocked because I'm sure Neji will walk in any minute.

After all, Gaara can't keep him busy _that _long, right?

I laugh, sitting on my bed and closing my eyes.

_Fox, you've got some explaining to do._

**Kabuto**

I rushed into Orochimaru's chambers, holding three scrolls in one hand as I drag a kicking and screaming sacrifice behind me.

The doors open by themselves and I can finally let go of the tarp that I had placed the man in.

"Kukuku, Kabuto," A silky voice slithers through the room.

I huff to catch my breath, "I brought him, Orochimaru-sama, but he didn't make it easy. The sedative wasn't strong eno-"

"It's fine, Kabuto, drag him to the circle." I follow the order, smiling when I feel a cold hand slide up my back and run through my tied hair.

"Thank you, Kabuto, shut my doors." I do as he says once more, then move to sit behind him and watch his most infamous technique.

Edo Tensei.

That Uchiha brat was giving Orochimaru hell, and we didn't know how, but the part of his curse mark that let us track him had been rendered useless.

We raided the nearest villages in our search for him, but he was never found. I suggested Konoha, as he was raised just outside of there, but Orochimaru shot it down. He argued that he was in no health to be facing people who knew his methods, and that he had a better idea.

I watched with a smirk as the life left the man in the tarp, jumping into the circle where a vile of cells lay. The vile soon morphed and grew into their original owner as Orochimaru completed the technique, smirking at his genius.

Who better to find a little Uchiha brat than this?

"Where am I?" A surprisingly soft voice questioned, frowning.

"Hello, you may call me Orochimaru. I've brought you back from what I presume to be an unpleasant eternal rest." A warm colored eyebrow was raised in response and the once-ghost lifted their arms to look at their corpse-darkened skin, touching their long, half-dead hair mournfully with an angry frown.

"I assume you want something in return for 'mercifully' reviving me?" Orochimaru and I shared a sick smirk to hide our frown. I could see this turning into trouble.

Orochimaru's tongue slithers out to lick his lips, "Hnn, I'm sure it shall be an easy task for once of your calliber, hmm? You don't have the limits I do, as you are dead."

Surprisingly lively eyes rolled and the soft, warm voice turned icy and annoyed, catching me off guard.

"Spit it out, you damned snake."

Orochimaru only smirked, "Kukuku, I need you to find and return me my little Uchiha..."

**Oh snap. Who did Orochimaru revive?!**

**You'll never guess! ...Okay, I guess you might. Try, though! It will entertain me...**

**Sorry for the wait. Computer issues and all that. Plus classes started back, and that always sucks.**

**Anyways, tell me what you think?**

**Much love to my lovely and faithful reviewers/alert-ers/favorite-ers! Here are your threes/hearts!**

**Pekudi! 3**

**Mortimermortman! 3**

**Maximoffsforever! 3 (Who I love PMing, SHMI forever!)**

**Rafiky! 3 (a new reviewer!)**

**& RedRoma! 3 (another new reviewer, as well as a new MadaIta fan!) I'm thrilled I've converted you ;)**

**I'm pretty eager to post this, so I don't really feel like going back to look up all who follow this story, but know that I love you too!**

MAGATAMA: Japanese 'tomoe' looking jewelry. Amaterasu sister of Susanoo: god of sea and storms

(1) – Madara: "I'm not a fucking Vampire!"

~SaLEm


	12. To Be Alive

**Annyeonghaseyo! (I'm spicing it up. With Korean. Booyah.)**

**I'M SINCERELY SORRY I'VE MADE YOU WAIT!**

**So, great to see you all again. Sorry it took so long, I've been ridiculously busy. Seriously. One weekend, I had homework from literally six of my eight classes. Well, technically all, but I didn't necessarily _have_ to learn those new songs for choir. But seriously.**

**AP English- write essay over 'The Things They Carried', read 'The Poisonwood Bible'**

**Varsity Choir- learn S'vivon**

**AP Music Theory- Analyze Bach piece**

**Art II- finish contour **

**Physics- formula worksheet**

**Chambers Choir- Learn Rutter and Stroope pieces**

**Pre-Cal- finish packet**

**Economics- Oligopoly presentation**

**Fuck. My. Life.**

**So, if you're wondering why I update so rarely, the answer is fucking school. I pretty much tied my own noose when I signed up for these classes. Buuut, eh, it could be worse.**

**Can't wait for college. (Sarcasm)**

**Anyways,**

**Chapter Eleven 'Recap'~: Itachi seems to be developing strange thoughts and feelings, and not just lovey-dovey ones, and Madara's catching on. Madara is also getting worse, having not had a decent fix in some time. Karin is an Uzumaki. Madara and Itachi dance around each other,(because that's what they do in my story, and when they finally get down to business, they'll romp like bunnies, okay?). Sasuke's emo and lonely and needs some lovin'. Naruto, his new bro, thinks he's dracula. Naruto and Sasuke decide to make a pact. Kyuubi's hiding things, they get revealed. Reading an Uchiha is a science, Naruto and Sasuke hit it off and Orochimaru summons some help.**

**I hope you don't absolutely hate this chapter.**

**Chapter Twelve~:**

**To Be Alive**

**Itachi**

What an awful day.

The one miniscule break I get from loud, giggling, obnoxious, awkward youth, AKA my teacher-conference-period, only served to frustrate me and make the day drag on that much more.

I will admit, I had, at first, been somewhat eager to visit with my Sensei, especially after this morning in the shower. I hadn't expected the same treatment, or even similar treatment, in front of a class, but I surely hadn't expected what I received, which was a rather cold shoulder.

Any attempts at communication were thwarted by dismissive grunts that sounded choked, as if it were bothering him just to be near me.

That isn't what you said this morning, you bastard.

And then, when he actually decides to talk, it's to some red-headed female! I had been ready to use Tsukuyomi and flip her brain upside down, but that was before I let Madara words sink in.

Uzumaki?

I watched as he practically drooled over her. Well, not literally drooled, but I could see it in his eyes. It was a weird hunger, the feeling with no name, relatable but unexplainable. While he continued to make social blunders, I picked up all of the scrap; turning the class attention away from him, making the situation as forgettable as possible. It was a relatively easy task, if you ignored the annoyingly observant eyes of a young, perceptive looking eaves dropper.

Seeing no young demons that screamed 'Mist', I initiated a conversation in Chinese. I figured, since it was the least popular among non-mist demons, yet most universally spoken, that he would speak it well. Fortunately, my judge of intelligence was quite spot on, and he had been comfortably fluent. With the other minds of the room being occupied, or deaf to our particular foreign language of choice, we were free to converse without others listening in.

I successfully capture his attention with my shadiness, trying my hardest to appear more interesting than Madara's mysterious conversation so as to prevent this boy's gaining of knowledge. As our conversation proceeds, I inwardly face-palm myself, as out of character as it seems.

This boy, the lazy bum-looking student I had seen blending in with the scenery, was in fact a Nara, I could sense it well, just talking to him. Damn, Nara clansmen were trouble. Nothing was a proper secret around them. I had known he was not human, for he did not smell like one, but I sure as would not have guessed that he would have been a shadow demon.

Then again, not many would be capable of assuming such, since shadow demons were tricky and rather difficult to detect, nothing like Hyuuga or Inuzuka, who could be identifiable among a large crowd with little effort.

The boy, Shikamaru, revealed very little about himself, but just by exchanging words I could tell he was of high rank in an assassin's corporation, no doubt Konoha's. It usually wasn't so difficult to decipher an immortal or demon's village of origin, but once again, shadow demons were tricky; ever cautious and observant, stingy with information, but Nara was pretty much synonymous with 'brains of Konoha'.

Hm, having him around would be-

"Troublesome..." Said the boy when he saw the Uzumaki girl seat herself. Stole the words right out of my mouth.

Damn, I had wanted to listen in to Madara as well. It seems you can't always hit two birds with one stone, then.

I sighed, settling for giving Sensei one last look before teaching his class like he should be doing, keeping an extra eye on the young Nara, but staying attentive to my sensei with my other senses.

He seemed ill, his body had been rather stiff and he had looked to be in pain. The blinds were closed in his classroom, blocking out the hot rays of sun from outside, yet he kept a light, barely noticeable sheen of sweat about his sickly looking skin.

I spoke loudly to the class with his dreary eyes in mind. The dark circles that gave his stare that sexy, matured edge were much darker, making it seem more intense for some reason, giving me that hazy feeling once more.

I frowned when I felt eyes on me. I looked around the room, finding most students taking notes on the famous authors I was teaching about, and the only eyes I encountered were the Nara boy's and Sensei's, but those I couldn't keep contact with for long.

My frown deepened into a grimace. The eyes weren't theirs, but someone else's who was obviously a very talented observer. Perhaps my own observational skills have become rusty due to dependency on Sharingan? Hn, something to work on...

I eventually grew bored of teaching English literature and sat back down next to Sensei, waiting eagerly for the end of third period. One more class to go, then I was done.

Who's idea was it to play teacher again? These pupils were driving me crazy. I couldn't tell if it was just my inexperience with America's way of educating or if the young ones were truly this awful.

God, do I feel sorry for my own Sensei, because I hadn't exactly been an ideal student either, early on(but he beat that out of me _real_ quick).

Still, through these annoying youth, I was learning quite a bit about the current affairs in the hidden villages. I had no idea that my ex-village had become so sheltered, nor had I been aware that the Mist was no longer known as the blood-mist. How boring.

It seemed as though the world had forgotten the leaders of war, leaving so few like Akatsuki and Rogues like Orochimaru behind in favor of painting a false image of utopia and economical efficiency. Only those with relentless ideals and bravery would rebel against the council's two-sided conformity, and those were the only individuals that were capable of facing both of those sides with a sneer.

But I'm sure your run of the mill psychopath could do the same.

Sometimes I wish my mentor were run of the mill..

Any who rebelled against The Demonic Council were deemed 'evil tyrants' or 'crazed murderers' and they were quickly abandoned or shunned.

I miss the world of my childhood, where there were more of us who weren't so blind and the acceptable life livers weren't so jaded.

Some could say that world made me who I am, or perhaps made Madara who he is, and he in turn made me who I am. It wouldn't matter how one worded it, as both were true.

I look to my side to gaze at the only man who had ever faced a shunning more fierce than mine. His eyes were on me, making the world shrink and rise in temperature. The color scheme of said world became warm as well, and everything outside of Madara became blurred, and I experience 'The Haze', as I have decided to call it, once more, that monstrous, hungry feeling.

The look in his eyes was so entrancing, almost as hypnotizing and seductive as Sharingan, but they were only those empty dark silver. I felt myself getting closer to them, despite the fact that I had not physically moved and some part of me was waiting for the red that had begun to become familiar. I vaguely wonder if he had somehow trapped me in an eye technique before quickly dismissing the idea. One, I would have at least sensed it by now, and two, he had been strongly against such a thing with out warning and permission.

The bell has rung, but I have misplaced the yearning I previously had toward ending this school day. I could stay like this forever with Madara. It was that feeling again, like before we left for the stores a week or so back.

Everything felt right and perfect in the world, just because nothing else existed apart from Madara at the moment.

Was Madara right and perfect? Not by any means.

Was Madara right enough, and everything desirable? In every way, to me.

I knew it was wrong and unrealistic to any onlooker, but onlookers weren't there to feel and understand, they were there to watch _you _do that. To my great fortune, the only real onlooker we had was the hypothetical one: normality.

In normality's eyes, my indescribable passion for Madara was too raw, too starving, too complex to be understood. I couldn't bring myself to care about normality, though, not when Madara's presence alone lifted the weight of the world from my shoulders.

I only half register the presence of Sasuke in the room, and it's the only thing keeping us from touching. It seems my inner poet has chose to ignore the actual _tangible_ onlooker, but Sasuke is normality enough when I think about how I'm hiding my Sensei from _him_ as well. Sasuke, as well as the rest of the world, can be confused onlookers for forever, because I don't share and they can't understand.

Sasuke, especially, cannot understand, even more so a Sasuke so young. Here he is watching us watch, but not comprehending like us. Uchiha do not love like onlookers and until Sasuke finds out how to love, he will look on as he does now.

My remaining family is frozen, waiting on someone to move and break the spell. It's Sasuke that breaks the stillness, of course, and when he finally leaves, Madara folds and looks away. I frown as I move to approach, ignoring the way his stiff form stiffens even more.

"You look like hell, Madara-Sensei..." I say when I'm sure there is no one near.

He mirrors my expression, "Hn, what a lovely complime- Nnn,..." Well now, I hadn't expected _that_ when my hands began massaging his stiff neck.

I smirk when I realize I accidentally caressed the seal on his neck. 'Oops'.

"You have to be more careful, boy..." And the long speech I'm sure I was about to receive is drown out by his encouraging hums of approval as I continue to kneed at his stiff shoulder muscles.

It nagged at me; his worked muscles, his tired eyes, the fact that he seemed to be in pain with no cause. Something in my core demanded that I fix it. After all, how could I let my mate suffer?

The problem, though, was that I was unsure of what could remedy him. It was like a doctor drawn to an ill patient, but the doctor just couldn't seem to remember how to treat the illness. The knowledge was there, just buried, but called to be used in aide.

It was frustrating, to say the very least.

We shared a grumble as we sense a student nearing the class, forcing us to separate.

"Remind me to have you do that again, boy..." And a part of me inwardly shined at Sensei's praise, but then that part was corrupted by perverted thoughts, saying that Madara was only saying praising me because he liked me feelin' him up.

Either train of thought is just fine with me.

I smirk, "Oh, any time you need it, Kurosawa, or want it for that matter..." And I leave the room on that note, inwardly grinning at the mock-scandalized look his sends over his thoroughly squeezed shoulder. I find myself amused and heartbroken at this, knowing that he was smiling through his pain, but that he was doing it for me. That feeling inside me ignited once more, screaming at me to relieve him, but the barrier was still there. For some reason, I just knew that Madara was holding the key that would unlock the doors to that secret part of my mind and body, but if I could truly 'relieve' him like I felt that I could, why would he stop me?

Why are you with-holding the key to my completeness?

Let me help...

My last class of that day had been pleasant, and I looked forward to teaching them for however long I decided to stay here. Even so, I decided that Sasuke's class was my favorite, despite their obnoxious attitudes. That could have easily been because of the fact that my dear little brother was part of it, though, and I enjoyed seeing him be unsettled by that brave blonde student.

The students leave at the dismissal bell rather loudly, but I don't mind. I was quickly becoming used to young people, demons and humans alike.

Okay, that's a rather fat lie. The truth is that I've developed a talent for tuning out their ruckes.

I have still come to at least appreciate certain good points about them, though. I have learned that while they can be guarded and cautious like _my _generation, they can also let themselves go. It was something I could respect.

As I lock my room and head into the hallway, on my way across to meet with Sensei, I am halted by Umino Iruka.

"Karasu-san!" He greets almost happily, receiving my nod in return.

"Yes?" I'd rather get down to it, as I wish to bug Madara before I have to leave to meet with Akatsuki.

He frowns ever so slightly, but continues. "Some teachers from B have decided to meet for drinks this Friday evening to celebrate the first week and get to know each other, so I decided to invite you and Kurosawa. Can you come?"

I immediately tried to find problems with the occasion to get out of it, anything to make this seem like a bad idea, "Will there be humans?" and he chuckled.

"Haha, no, the last thing we need is someone drinking one too many and spilling the beans to some human. It's going to be a non-human gathering, naturally." I pursed my lips slightly, taking in his almost hopeful expression. I had never encountered someone so interested in a 'friendship' with no ulterior motives, so with not-so-slight reluctance, I vowed to ask Kurosawa.

"Oh! About your room-mate!" He said, seeming to just remember something. My eyes narrowed, daring him to say something negative about Madara, but such a thing was not on his mind.

"It seems as though he was in a hurry to get to his stay, so I wasn't able to catch him, but he has forgotten to lock his classroom." I roll my eyes, not feeling the need to guard any expression in this situation.

"Yes, he is rather thoughtless sometimes, which is why I have his spare key." Iruka raised an eyebrow in question but he was ignored as I walked a few feet to Madara's classroom to lock the door.

I turn back, "I do apologize, and I'll be sure to get back to you with Kurosawa's reply when I get it. Good evening, Umino-san." And I make haste to my apartment-like living space, leaving him behind instead of doing the polite thing and walking with him to our neighboring stays.

I heave a sigh when I lock the front door behind me, then unbutton my dress shirt to dwell in the more comfortable t-shirt underneath. I looked up to find the living area and kitchen empty, so I shuffle my feet tiredly to the bedroom, where I was sure Madara was.

I find him nodding off in our bed and I fight the frown. Was his last ridiculous sleeping cycle simply not enough for him? He couldn't hibernate again, not when school has started, but he's turned back into the sickly mess that he had been in the beginning.

I walk over to the bed where he lay on his stomach, grumbling into a pillow, sure that I had come to pester him.

Heavens no, Sensei, I would never do such a thing. I only intended to keep my earlier promise.

I kneel next to his dozing form on the bed and begin to remove his shirt, making him tense.

"What are you-" He pauses as I pull the cloth over his head. "-doing, boy?"

I smirk, "You seem tense, Madara-sama. Let me take care of you." And I begin to let my hands roam and press once more, this time all over his back. He quickly melts into the mattress, not even objecting when my hands venture low and I allow myself to grope like I wanted to earlier this morning.

"Nnngh," I smirk, "You're very good with your hands, boy..." And the tone of his voice sends blood rushing south.

"Hmm, you don't know the half of it," I say in an equally arousing voice, licking my lips when he freezes, probably imagining scenarios in which I would enlighten him.

I believe my predictions to be correct when he practically shudders and groans. I bring my mouth down to kiss up the middle of his back, my hands trailing up his sides until one knots itself into his tangled tresses, pulling his head back while the other hand supported my weight so I could turn him slightly. I was still sitting atop the back of his thighs while I pulled him face me slightly, but he did not voice any complaints.

...Unless soft moaning counted as complaints...

I began sucking hard on his neck, paying special attention to his more sensitive, favored areas like the mark and that spot just below his ear. Pleased with the results, I lift my head to be rewarded with the sight of Madara biting his lip with his eyes rolled back wantonly. I tugged his locks in a rough and careless manner, delighting in the slight wince as well as Madara releasing his lower lip in favor of letting out a hoarse pant of approval.

I continued to tease his neck and grip his hair, letting my other hand travel down to his behind where fingers rubbed suggestively through tight black pants.

"So, would you like me to show you how true your last statement really was?"

He seemed as though he was about to answer, but another devilish touch left him only capable of a low, whimpering hum. I could feel us both getting rather hungry for each other, and I wanted nothing more than to prove Sensei's observation right by thrusting my fingers inside him. For some reason, the idea of having him completely at my fingertips, pun perhaps intended, was the most attractive thought in the world at this very moment.

Madara squirms and arches a bit, reminding me that I was still practically molesting him through his clothes rather mercilessly. I shifted to hover over him, pulling his hair harder in order to get his head closer to me so I could capture his mouth. I moved my fondling hand to squeeze and kneed at his hip and ground my raging erection into his unfortunately clothed behind, earning a throaty moan.

I moved my mouth down to his neck, feeling myself start to lose control as I tilt his head back further and, even through his squinted eyes, I could see the red glow. I frown, grinding down on him once more to watch his eyes widen and shut as he pants heavily. I could feel The Haze.

Was it his eyes that were making me lose all lucidity? It seemed that every time I aroused him, hurt him(two things which strangely went hand in hand), his eyes would change to this color. An even scarier thought: every time his eyes were like this, dotless Sharingan, I would experience that feral, beastly high.

Were the eyes the cause? Were they some type of Mangekyou or other genjutsu that Madara obtained? How did he manage to hide something like that? Was he even aware of it's coming and going? Was he controlling it?

...And why did it activate at times like _this_?

I became distracted with my musings, so when Madara suddenly flips our positions, I gasp in surprise.

I watch as he hovers over me, panting as he tried to catch his breath. He was blinking rather hard as well, and I realize that he's trying to will his eyes away. Once the red had successfully faded to dreary gray, Madara's breathing finally slowed.

So he _was _aware of it?

He probably couldn't control it though, judging by the way he struggled to make it disappear.

Hn, interesting...

I remain on my back, by choice, as he finally gets a hold of himself.

"Now... is not the time for- this, boy..." He coughs and shoves off of me, leaving me to stare curiously at his retreating back while he struggles to move to the kitchen area or our living space. Was he upset that I lost focus? Was it the fact that I had touched him like that in the first place?

I slowly stand, with what I'm sure is a confused look on my face, and follow after him.

Madara stumbles through our home, barely catching himself on the table. I sigh, approaching slowly, intent on placing a hand on his shoulder, or simply comforting him, but my efforts are thwarted. Before I can even touch him, he whirls to face me, then spins us both around in the opposite direction and pushes me down so that he has me pinned against the table.

His eyes bleed to red, this time in Sharingan, and his face moves to mine. A strange feeling almost like fear sparks within me.

Madara's breath fans over my face, "What part of 'Now is not the time' do you not understand, hn?"

His breath smells like sickness and just by looking at him I can tell why he left his class early. A blackness surrounded his eyes that no longer looked natural, now more like some kind of horror make up. I'm suddenly reminded of the dream I had a couple of weeks ago and my breath hitches.

I think back to the face of my mother, the bandit eyes, the teeth, the claws and that cannibalistic look.

The insanity.

The same look that was now directed at me...

I dare to look away so I could see his other hand, the claws, to confirm growing suspicions.

"You look away _now_, boy?" As if commanded, my eyes return to his.

Madara looked like a starved man, sick and dying. I would probably say it were possible if I didn't know any better. It made me wonder if he wished he could die sometimes...

I reached out to touch his face, "Sensei..."

Madara shuddered angrily, better equated to a spasm, and jerked his head, bearing his teeth. My hand traveled from his face to his neck, his chest, his slightly protruding ribs, and his quivering stomach before he slaps my hand away.

I frown, no longer just a concerned frown, but one that showed exactly frustrated with how seriously unaware I was of my own mate. He was truly disturbed, every aspect of him completely skewed and off and I couldn't figure it out. It felt like it was right there at the tip of my tongue, but it simply simply wouldn't happen, I just couldn't get it.

"Madara, what is wrong with you?"

He shifted his sickly body away from me slightly and rests his forehead on my chest. I don't have to see his face to know that it's no longer angry-looking. Just by the sound of the desperate sigh, by the feel of the hot breath against my stomach, I could tell that his teeth were no longer bared at me.

"I could do it right now, boy," My eyebrows furrow in confusion and I begin to stroke his once-again-oily hair. It was just like when he was in the Uchiha manor, and this bothered me greatly. The only difference was that he only seemed sicker now, more out of his mind, but not covered in swamp-sludge.

Madara continued mindlessly babbling, "It would stop the pain all over... I could protect you forever... Have you forever..." I raise one of my furrowed brows. He sounded delirious, but the man got more sleep than any person I had ever met. And who ever said _I _needed protection?

"I would even let you do it back..." Madara was still going on, whispering this time, and his reluctant tone leaves me even more confused, because if he were simply talking about finalizing our bond, he wouldn't sound this worried.

"Let me do what back, Madara-sama?"

I feel his face tighten up against my stomach and his breath hitches.

As if my voice breaks him out of his trance, his mouth snaps shut and he swiftly straightens, putting a gap between us in less than a second.

"Leave me alone, boy." And I watch, helplessly dumbfounded, as Madara stomps to his bedroom and slams the door behind him.

Well then.

I sat up on the table top slowly, placing my feet on the closest chair so I could rest my elbows on my knees and place my face into my hands. When I successfully achieved said position, I sighed into my hands. It was a tired sigh, one with my exasperated voice thrown into the mix and that resembled a drawn out grunt or groan of annoyance, and it could probably be named the most irritated sound I had ever made.

Sure, I could waltz over there and bust that door down with my pinky.

Sure, I could use Sharingan to figure out what Madara's problem was.

Was life going to let it be that simple?

No.

Was _Madara_ going to let it be that simple?

No.

Heavens no.

I shake my head in my hands, then run said hands over my face as if they were cleansing me of my troubles.

Another sigh.

Well at least I didn't have to worry about my Akatsuki meeting cutting into my time with Madara.

My eyes fall on the door and my ears zero in on the silence behind it. I listen harder, and even harder until I can make out labored breathing and an erratic pulse, but all I can do is sit back and feel the concern well up within my chest.

Madara shut me out.

He wasn't going to let me do anything.

I couldn't help.

The feeling made my neck burn helplessly, the flesh that bore his name was tingling with some sort of despair that left me angry and disappointed in myself and my inability to be of use to the only person that truly mattered.

Okay, well, _Sasuke_ mattered- but to my bond, Sasuke was non-existent.

According to the mark on my neck, there _was _no Sasuke- only Madara.

I remember when the thought use to unsettle me. Really, it was only a little over a week ago, maybe awhile after, that it happened. Nothing else mattered outside of my bond-mate.

It could have been anything, any time that set off this tunnel vision. Maybe it was one of the fights, maybe when I put him to sleep, maybe when he held me as his dear one for the first time.

Maybe it was as soon as he stepped out of the well.

It could have been any of those times, I'll probably never know, but some point along the way, something snapped and everything else in the world suddenly lost any chance at being first on my list of priorities. Suddenly it was no contest.

Yes, at first it scared me, but I got sucked in.

Perhaps this applied to all mated beings, but Madara became an addiction.

Madara, my dear bond-mate, was no ordinary addiction, though. No, addictions didn't care, didn't want, didn't need.

And people certainly didn't care for the feelings of their 'addiction'.

I wanted everything for Madara, and I know for a fact that he at least thinks fondly of me. I wanted 'my addiction's happiness, his content, his pleasure, his pain, his troubles, his love, his hate, his worries- his everything.

And here he was, locking me out of what I thought was our shared room.

I roll my eyes at my misfortune, knowing better than to cry at a situation when one could laugh instead, and I make my way to what I had dubbed 'That room full of my stuff'.

Normally, I would trust my instincts when it came to Madara. It seemed to work in my favor when he was involved, and it's what he's always taught me in some way or another, but I simply couldn't today. I knew that he was in no mood to be civil or compliant, and I had no time to fight for an explanation that I may or may not get out of him.

I move around the useless bed, going deep into the room's closet and pulling my Akatsuki cloak from the inside of another jacket I had hung around it.

Sure, it was amateur, but I couldn't imagine anyone snooping through my closet, so I saw no reason to get too creative with hiding it. Besides, the only people who ever came in here were my relatives, and they were already aware of my Akatsuki status.

I folded the cloak and walked to the kitchen area where I retrieved a large paper sack from under the sink. After placing the infamous cloak inside, I walked to the bedroom door, softly tapping it with my knuckles before calling through to my beloved ancestor.

"I will be going, Sensei. I won't be back until well after dark, perhaps morning hours." All I received in reply was silence, and I suddenly miss the sound of the heavy breathing that let me know he was there, listening.

If it wasn't for the steady stream of negative energy pulsing to the mark of my neck, I would have questioned his presence.

When I'm sure I won't get a reply, I turn away from the door to make my leave, but not before calling back to him one last time.

"Madara-sama, if I have offended you once more..." I listen for something, anything to let me know I had his attention from beyond the door.

I sigh, then open the front door before finishing my farewell, "...I'm sorry," and I shut the door behind me. I don't care if he doesn't favor apologies or regrets, I felt them, so I let him feel them too.

As I leave the campus and begin my trek, I come to realize that some mode of teleportation, or perhaps a better and more universal word would be 'transportation', would prove to be much more efficient in getting me to the top-secret California Akatsuki base, but frankly, I felt as though it would seem out of place.

The base was in an underground cave, many miles from my location, but for some reason I felt the strange instinctual need to walk.

Perhaps someone was watching me? No matter, the meeting would take place a couple of hours from now anyways, so I could take my time.

Besides, I had quite a bit to think about to occupy my mind in that time...

Like Madara's eyes.

**Madara**

I swear on everything, if that little bastard tries to sexually assault me _one more time_, I will kill him.

…Okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration...

One, I could never kill Itachi.

Two, you really couldn't call it _assault_ anyway.

Had he assaulted me?

Yes.

Had I been putting up a huge fight?

No, I can't really say I had.

I smirk at my thoughts, giving one breathy chuckle before slumping back onto the bed. Itachi left about ten minutes ago. It was convenient, really, since we both had places to be and people to see, and being together on these trips was not the wisest idea.

Or so I assume, because I couldn't be certain of where _he_ was going. There was a pretty good chance that it had to do with that Akatsuki, other wise he would have told me about it instead of being all mysterious.

Hm, perhaps I should lengthen his leash? I wouldn't want him being too predictable, that would be a bit boring...

I drag myself away from my tangent, annoyed that I had lost my train of thought, but on another hand, pleased that I had been at least temporarily distracted from the searing pain all over.

And now it's back.

Maybe I should have just stayed on the tangent...

Maybe I should have just drank from my bond-mate like my nature intended...

I sighed in defeat, knowing that was not an option at this point.

I look at the clock with what I know to be desperate red eyes. Maybe I should hurry up and meet my 'old friend' (AKA- my temporary food supply). I shudder at the thought. Despite the fact that I technically consume life-blood as a form of sustenance, calling people food still left an unpleasant ring in my ears.

"Ughh..." The pained groan that escapes my throat surprises me. It's dry and raspy-sounding, and the vibrations it sends through my chest only make it ache more, not to mention the intensified pounding in my head.

I don't even think I'm capable of teleportation in this state.

Fuck, I hate this pain.

Fuck, I want blood.

Fuck... I need Itachi...

My longing for my beloved only seemed to make the pain worse, and this time, it wasn't just physical pain. Now my very soul was craving.

Another groan escapes, this time silent since my voice seems to be broken, and I force myself out of the bed, no longer allowing myself to wallow.

I drag myself to the bathroom and grimace at my reflection. I definitely waited too long. It appears that being bonded to Itachi has made endurance a weak point of mine. Why were the cravings and symptoms so severe, and why did they return so quickly? Is it just because of Itachi? Because my body yearned to feel him and taste him just as much as I heard, saw and smelled him?

Was his stunning appearance not enough? Did hearing that beautifully smooth voice not satisfy my ears enough? Not even his intoxicating scent was enough to satisfy me from wanting everything?

Since Itachi left our little home, my complexion had only grayed that much more as even mere minutes passed by, and my eyes were that foggy, empty red color with dark rings around them that reminded me of that red-headed boy with the face-tattoo in my class.

I pinched the ends of my frayed hair in disgust, frowning, then frowning harder when I could see my sharpening teeth through said original frown.

It was definitely time to go.

With haste I walked out to the living room and looked around to make sure Itachi was truly gone. Once I was absolutely sure, I flashed my faded-red eyes and my surroundings warped until I had successfully reached my desired destination and I fall to my knees with a choked gasp. That had taken far too much effort on my blood's behalf and I felt myself paying for it.

Good thing I was on my way to fixing that.

My throat throbbed for that sweet elixir despite the fact that it was second best. I had never drank from my old friend, this one alliance, so I had to wonder whether or not obtaining his blood was going to be difficult.

I was definitely going to obtain it, though, despite my ally's tendency to be uncooperative. Even without Sharingan I was rather... persuasive. I had always been so with the Uchiha clan, and even outside of the clan, and I was quite accustomed to getting my way.

With a tired smirk, I began to walk out of the familiar dark alley way in the Rain Village, a common location for shady meetings. Breathing the air of the hidden world felt good. The air here had a certain taste, a familiarity that made my lungs greedy for more. I fantasized about kidnapping Itachi and running off to some village like this, a village where the air had a wisp of death in it's taste.

Sure, the unhidden world was great with it's unaware humans and interesting quirks, but it was no home for our kind. We needed this air. We needed to be in our element.

Itachi may think that he belongs where he is, but I knew otherwise, and this time, it didn't necessarily have anything to do with his secret, dark ancestry.

Regardless of what he tells himself, Itachi is no mortal. It's not in his nature to be content with mortal things. The boy, like all of his kind, has something deep within him that yearns to protect or fight, to be challenged and overcome said challenge.

Teaching human youth is most definitely a challenge, but not the kind Itachi needed.

It bothered me that he seemed so willing to assimilate to the human way of life. I felt as though he was deluding himself into thinking that it would work, that he could live like them. Not even the other non-human teachers were doing this(they were probably on mission). It bothered me more to think that I would do the same thing for this boy. Now that Itachi was my main priority, nothing else seemed to matter. Part of me liked having Itachi, but another part of me still lived in the past, in the hidden world, and in war.

So, as I made my way to the rendezvous point, I day-dreamed about taking down all who opposed the freedom and happiness of my beloved, and therefor my own freedom and happiness, and exterminating my past. By eliminating our enemies, Itachi and I could live undisturbed and be quite the force, and we wouldn't have to hide in the human world.

This train of thought continues to please, as it always has. Something inside me compelled me to take control, to command, and few have stood in my way and lived to tell the tale.

Suddenly, though, I find myself mourning these thoughts with sighs of disappointment. It seemed that now-a-days, one simply could not conquer. The way of my time has past and I suddenly find myself reminded of old American men from when my ghostly form traveled the world.

It amused me at the time, listening to them complain to one another about the youth of that time. How the 'hippies' didn't appreciate their way of life because they knew nothing about their reality.

Now, though, it seemed like bitter irony. The peace-loving trend appears to have even drifted to the Hidden world, and the youth of the villages were so caught up in love and bonds that they have forgotten where they come from.

They have forgotten the leaders, the wars, and the leaders of war.

I inhale the oxygen of the hidden world once more and find that it soothes my grief slightly.

"It took you long enough."

I look up, tensing to attack. It seems as though I had been on auto-pilot, simply wandering to my destination. I frown when I realize that I had been doing so not only because of my day-dreaming, but because my sight was fading.

I blink my blurry eyes and speak, "I could have taken longer," and I delight in his growl.

"I thought you had keeled over somehow. What are you, a billion years old now?" His voice has changed over the centuries. Last time we spoke, he had been speaking in a dry, sarcastic tone. Now, he was just unpleasant all together.

I sneered slightly, "I doubt I'll be 'keeling over' any time soon."

He raised his brow curiously, almost knowingly.

"Hm, you look like shit, otherwise I'd believe you. Now are we going to get down to business or what?" Business? I wasn't aware that feeding me was 'business'. I had of course let him know exactly what would be going down in this little get-together, and oddly enough he simply accepted it.

I suspected that he just wanted to see if I was truly still alive and kicking.

Glaring at me, he leans against the wall and lowers the collar of whatever strange garment he's wearing.

"Eager?" I tease, though I know I'm not quite correct. Despite our shared masochistic and sadistic qualities, neither of us has ever fancied the other. It could be due to the fact that we're both proud, aged and bull-headed, but we simply aren't compatible as more than allies.

And believe me, as a man who loves rough sex, I thought about it back in the day.

"Shut the fuck up, you bastard." He's grown mouthy. "As good as I'm sure you are at taking dick, I have no time for you. I have places to be, so if you'll kindly get this show on the road-"

I grab the hair at the back of his head and yank back, "Don't talk to me with such a superior tone."

He grins, "Hm, you're pretty testy, you wanna-be cannibal. When's the last time you had your fix?"

I dig the nail of my thumb into his neck and lap at the blood. "Let me get back to you on that." And I move my mouth to cover the bleeding break in his skin. It makes me wish I could bite him, sink my teeth in and truly hurt him, but the last thing I want is to be tied to this little shit.

He goes rigid and I suck hard and mercilessly, imagining that this was my dear Itachi. Strangely, I have to stop that train of thought. Imagining the blood of this man to be my mate's made it immensely undesirable, a reaction I can only assume comes from the bond-mark.

After awhile, it loses it's appeal on it's own and I pull back after getting my fill.

I lift my mouth from him with a gasp and we both stumble apart. My vision slowly, ever so _slowly_, returns to it's usual quality and the pain all over my body begins to subside little by little until I can focus on reality once more.

"You've sunk pretty low, you old fuck." I look up to see him glaring at me as he leaned on a wall for support.

I wipe my mouth of his blood, "I can live without your crude language- and you are quite aged yourself."

"Fuck yourself, you leech-bastard." I smirk at his irritability. It seems as though our exchange has passed my foulness onto him.

I frowned once more as I thought this over. I should be feeling calm and nourished, but for some reason I was beginning to almost shake in my skin. There was a giddy, crazed feeling that kept bouncing around in my head that felt similar to a sugar rush one would receive after drinking one of those slushees.

I began to over-observe everything. I took in my surroundings, my feelings, my reactions and my thoughts and came to the conclusion that my 'ally' turned on me. He must have drugged himself to drug me or something, because this was definitely not right. I glared, scanning him from head to toe when I suddenly pause and do another once over, then a twice over.

I break out of my musings and address him curiously, trying to hide the strangeness of my voice. "Hn, that's an odd outfit. It looks familiar, but I would not have guessed it to be your style."

He rolls his eyes and sinks into a more comfortable sounding conversation, as if pretending I hadn't just sucked his neck.

"I don't know where you've been, but the world's gone to shit. I don't do anything solo any more."

I give him a look that silently asks 'why?' and he answers. "Believe it or not, more freedom. Ironic, I know. The villages are hunting people like us down, and while I'm difficult to over-come, a four-man cell of powerful protectors against one is a bit much. It's wise to find those of equal or similar interest and stick with them."

"Hn," I reply. This thought reminded me of Itachi and his 'Akatsuki'.

I am interrupted from said train of thought, though, by a choking shudder that quakes my body. I frown at this. I have drank an immortal's blood before, in a time of desperation mind you, and it did not have such a strange effect.

It was almost a buzzing feeling, or perhaps a high of some sort. I felt energized, but in an unhealthy way, and every little detail of my surroundings catches my attention. I wanted to run and fight to get rid of the pent up feeling. My breathing sped up as I realized this also brought forth arousal and excited the supposedly sated monster within.

I don't understand... I had my fill, but my body wasn't using it properly. It's as if I've only taken the edge off, or perhaps a better phrasing would be that I've made a certain edge of my disease worse.

"You're shaking like a bitch, anything to do with that pretty little tattoo?" I sneer. I hadn't really thought about that...

"Don't pretend like you couldn't sense it, brat. I hate when people play stupid." He chuckled darkly, at my statement or at his correct assumption, I'm not sure.

"Ah, so the great Madara has gotten stuck with a mate. Why not leech off of them? My blood clearly isn't compatible with your cute little bond..."

I give an almost bitter chuckle, "Yes, it seems as though miscalculated the worth of your blood," He clicks his tongue, and I continue in a disappointed tone, "Damn, it really isn't enough. I suppose it will fulfill it's purpose and postpone my madness, though."

He lifts an aristocratic brow, "Madness? Tell me, was your mate aware of this possibility when they brought you back to this world? Or perhaps a new leader of war has resurrected you? Was it Orochimaru?"

I grimace at the thought. All I had learned about this 'Orochimaru' is that he was the twisted snake demon that had a knack for dark, forbidden techniques and had my youngest descendant under his creepy wing. Was the monster truly a powerful force? A leader of war?

What is this about resurrections?

I am eerily reminded of Tobirama's Edo Tensei. What an awful technique to come from such a glorified clan. It made me feel more protective over my mate's younger brother knowing that he had such a monster after his body.

It was almost unsettling me to the point that I felt like doing a bit of investigating. I wanted to find out the true, current state of the hidden worlds- Who were the powers, the leaders? Who was opposing them? Who was after my beloved or his dear ones?

"No, it was no Orochimaru, nor was it my mate."

He smirks, "I see... then who? And who is your mate? Would I know them?" I roll my eyes.

"I would most certainly hope not... The last thing I need is for you to influence and gossip to him, he's good enough at getting under my skin."

He jumps and points his finger, "Ha! It's a male! I always knew... Is he feisty? I bet you guys get _real_ frea-"

"I would rather not discuss this with you..." But yes, feisty is definitely the word to describe him...

A smirk slithers onto his face, "Well enough, I suppose. I'm already late as it is. I'll be seeing you, and hopefully you'll be more willing to indulge and spills those juicy little secrets next time. I've always wanted to know you Uchiha operate in _that_ department..."

I have to smirk at his perversions.

As he walks away, his outfit catches my erratic eyes once more and I stop him just before he leaves the shadows.

"Who must you meet tonight? Exactly where is it that you are going?"

He turns with a raised eyebrow and an expression that seems to say 'what?' painted across his masculine face.

"I'm late for an Akatsuki meeting..."

–

**Orochimaru's Edo Tensei (You guessed it~...)**

Edo Tensei... What an awful technique. I should go back in time and kick Tobirama's ass to prevent such evils. And how could such a villain obtain the DNA of a Kage? Damn, I should have done something about that during my reign as Hokage... We Kage should be sealed after death for situations just like this! Giving the council so much power seems to have backfired...

Still, what an exciting mission to wake up to!

First, I am informed that the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out by an adolescent boy! He was surely a disciple of Madara's, as there is no other explanation for such strength and skill, but still, not even fully grown! It's rich, I tell you! I hoped to run into this boy while I'm returning his little brother to that snake demon. I wonder if I'll see Madara in the murderous eyes of this Itachi. I also wonder if he will be as pretty as Madara was... Ah yes, and I could only pray that he's half as feisty, because I believe Madara to be forever undefeated in that particular category.

I frown, remembering exactly who I was killed by, as well as how. Feisty indeed, that Uchiha scum.

I am forever a sucker for pretty things, but I just may end up killing this Itachi when I'm done with him in order to redeem the honor I lost in my last battle, if one could really even call it that... Not that playing with him would be about his beauty. No, it was never an Uchiha's looks that got me going, it was knocking them down.

I remember my last days quite well, as Madara and I had a splendid time. I didn't fuck him to make either of us feel good, and it certainly wasn't the pleasure that made me cum, because Madara squirmed and cursed and mocked me the entire time, and frankly, he made it an irritating experience. No, what made me cum was knowing that I was destroying him and his stupid pride. It wasn't the fact that he was being raped that accomplished this, though, for Madara was no female or any naturally submissive creature of the like. What truly tore him down was that fact that his mortal enemy was dominating him.

I was literally fucking him over and robbing him of any power that he could use to defend himself.

I let the memories play over in my mind, remembering every scream, the taste of his monstrous, angry blood, the tauntingly excruciating throb of the probably infected bite mark on my neck and that hate filled gaze that greeted me every visit, the one that never seemed to weaken no matter how brutal the torture.

Of all of these senses, though, the one that stuck with me was the feeling of it all. When I say 'all', I mean it. Biting him may not have accomplished what I had wanted it to accomplish at the time, but it granted me a sort of access to him during our torture session. I had been able to feel him. Every electrifying spark of pain up his spine, every evil, victorious, insane peel of laughter that never stopped. It was passed through me, each physical pain, each bright red emotion.

Each terrifying growl of a monster hidden deep within him. I had always known that Uchiha were cruel, evil beings, and I had always called them monsters, but Madara... He truly exceeded all terrible things that I had ever thought of an Uchiha.

I felt the darkness of the creature clawing at the surface of Madara's subconscious, but thankfully, my seals kept it at bay. So _this_ was the secret weapon Danzou had told me about? It had most likely been the cause for Madara's insanity in the chamber, what with all of the roaring and hissing and maniacal laughter, and let's not forget the clawing and creepy growling sounds. I had just tried to bond with that...

I suppose good and bad came from that failed bond, for if it had succeeded, I would have been in deep shit. Then again, it's failure led to my death... Gods be with any creature who mated with that bastard...

Of course, Madara probably died long before he could do that...

Ah, to reminisce...

I sighed, breaking from my musings to stop and look around. The Hidden world had changed quite a bit, so I may require assistance.

Who better to find than Danzou, have it that young brat still be alive and kicking...

First, though, I'll need to find my necklace...

**Itachi**

I finally transport myself, via old Uchiha technique, to a foreign northern city in California. It was a rather ingenious plan of Pein's to hide here, like hiding out in the open. Not many would think to look for a group as notorious as the Akatsuki in the world of mortals, since we weren't so interested in them.

Sure, most villages knew little to nothing about us in the first place, but as a group of rogue non-humans, it was safe to say that we mingled in the hidden world.

I stopped before I arrived at the open space hidden in a mountain and hid my energy, as well as my physical presence, watching from the shadows. I bemusedly observed the few that were already there. It seemed as though Sasori had arrived first, naturally, as he was one for being prompt, and with him Deidara, who was talking animatedly, and then there was Kakuzu, who seemed to be ignoring them both. Kisame arrived and I had a sneaking suspicion that he knew I was watching, already well accustomed to my creeping ways.

Kisame took to conversing with Kakuzu while Sasori and Deidara bickered. It was rather entertaining to watch Sasori approach his breaking point, already on edge from having to wait for everyone. Zetsu finally arrived as well, meaning that Leader was not too far behind and that the meeting would start soon. I decided to make an appearance as well, and I stepped from the shadows to receive a semi-excited greeting from a seething(from his arguing with Sasori) Deidara and a knowing grin from Kisame.

I nodded to each and stood next to my usual partner in waiting.

It was not uncommon for leader to be late, or even last to arrive, and Hidan liked to lag, but that little pest Tobi _always_ arrived with Zetsu.

Speak of one of the devils, Hidan slouches into the circle nodding his head and standing next to a peeved Kakuzu.

Said bounty hunter glared at him, "What took you so long? As if Sasori isn't annoying enough when he's _not _all bitchy and impatient."

"Sasori-no-danna is not bitchy, un, just impatient." He recieves a glare from Sasori. "It's true, un."

Hidan ignores the following argument and shrugs. "I forgot the fucking date, get off my back." He looks around before huffing, "I'm not even that late. Leader's probably gonna stall for another half-hour for Jashin-knows-what, and that _little shit_ isn't even here."

I twitch slightly, not expecting Kisame's voice as bellows across the way. "Ne, where is that twerp anyway, Zetsu? I thought he was your charge."

"Either that or Zetsu's his baby-sitter, un." Kisame and Hidan cackle loudly in response.

Hidan recovers first, only to crack another joke at the newbie's expense. "Hell, Pein-sama's probably slaughtering the little bastard as we speak!" The reply of laughter is halted as the three remaining members make their way to the circle.

I pull my hand from the arm of my cloak out of habit, shivering slightly as my hair brushes _that _spot on my neck.

Deidara gives me an odd glance before speaking out to Leader. "Hidan seems to long for the presence of you three."Hidan glares and Kisame chuckles under his breath next to me.

When Tobi scampers off to stand at Deidara's side, I have to hold in a chuckle of my own. "Deidara-sempai, it's okay, I know you missed Tobi most of all!" He proceeds to hug Deidara and it proves to be too much. While the less than stoic characters burst into fits of laughter, the rest of us smirk- excluding Sasori, who adopted a rather displeased expression when Tobi embraced Deidara.

How amusing.

"Let's begin." Ah, the fun-loving Leader has spoken. Good timing, too, I really didn't want to drag this out.

I find myself bored throughout the meeting, only half-listening to Pein and Konan discuss locating tailed beasts and future missions. I seem to be distracted and I cannot decide if my thoughts are preoccupied with Madara or the constant nagging feeling of eyes on me.

I look around discreetly, noticing that most are either paying attention and contributing or are distracted with their own thoughts. Kakuzu is suggesting that we turn in their corpses to gain money, Hidan seems to be praying to Jashin for guidance on the situation, Sasori lays claim to at least one of the corpses so he can turn them into a puppet, and Deidara ogles Sasori's young-looking body outside of it's scorpian-dummy.

Sure, he looked good, but I simply couldn't see myself lusting after someone that appeared to be Sasuke's age.

I frowned wondering whether or not Sensei felt that way about _me_.

I inwardly shook the thoughts from my head and continued to observe.

Kisame looked indifferent to the conversation, neither absorbed in it or against it in any way, but this was to be expected of Kisame, who was only here for lack of something better to do. My gaze moved to Zetsu who, for once, was not watching everyone else. He was usually the eyes and ears of this group, but it appears that I am spacing out during a very important meeting, for if even Zetsu was listening intently, then the topi had to be quite significant.

None of these people were watching me, and Pein and Konan were too busy planning to be bothered with staring at me.

That left only one person.

I kept my eyes forward, so as not to draw attention to the fact that I knew he was watching me.

Why would Tobi of all people be watching me?

I made sure that the collar of my cloak was properly positioned around my neck like always. I never exposed more than my face or hands in the Akatsuki, call it paranoia if you must, so if something were visible I could understand Tobi's sudden infatuation, but I was just as concealed as always.

Could Tobi be a sensory type?

We honestly had no real idea of his capabilities, or how someone so... ridiculous was in such a dangerous group in the first place. Pein was the one in charge and he was a rather serious leaders, so I doubt that he would let someone who was dead weight in on his organization.

I really and truly tried to pay attention throughout the meeting to find out just what those plans are, but that nagging feeling that Tobi was still staring at me was making it impossible. I can ask Deidara about the meeting later if it's that important, I needed to see if I was just imagining the eyes.

I turned my head, no longer facing the front, but facing directly across from me wear Tobi had chosen to stand.

Odd, he usually stood in between Deidara and Zetsu closer to the front of our group.

He was indeed staring at me, his mask facing me completely. I couldn't tell for sure if his eyes, or eye, was trained on me because the mask hid all facial features, but why else would he be positioned in such a way? He _had _to be staring at me...

The fact that I was incapable of seeing his face unsettled me enough, but not seeing his face and just _knowing_ that it was watching me was driving me insane.

Perhaps he really _was_ a sensory type, and he just sensed something off about me.

What could he sense, though? The only thing that had been altered about me since the last meeting was-

Oh.

Could an outsider truly sense an Uchiha bond? Sensory type or not, my bond mark should not be that noticeable, especially in it's adolescence.

I felt an intense urge to place my hand on my neck to hide it, but that would only draw more attention to it, as well as the hickies that probably still littered my neck.

I had forgotten about those...

Oh God, I went to class in a button-up...

Didn't I see Sasuke today?

Aw, fu-

"Hey, Itachi, why ya spacin' out, un?" I look up from the spot on the ground I'd been staring at to see that we had broken from our circle and were all scattered, Leader and Konan no where in sight.

"Hn," Deidara rolled his eyes before approaching and slinging an arm over my shoulder, to which I tensed and glared.

"The rest of them were going to see how long it would take for you to realize that the meeting was over, un. After about a minute, I couldn't take it anymore, un, and Tobi was giggling something about initiating a forced piggy-back ride." I fight the urge to set the nuisance on fire as he cackles and runs to hide behind Zetsu.

Kisame chuckles under his breath, "Aa, I-ta-chi, did you ever get rid of that creep?" My blood froze in my veins when I realized which creep he was talking about.

A few heads turn to listen in but I reply with the usual 'hn.' and ignore them. Kisame chuckles once more and moves to converse with a more willing partner, leaving me stuck under Deidara's arm.

I pull myself away from him and he gives me a look that makes me frown for the umpteenth time this night. He looks as if he knows something.

Brushing it off, I begin to walk towards the exit, silently announcing my leave. Kisame shouts his goodbye, Tobi blurts out a 'See ya, Itachi-san!' and the rest nod me away. Deidara, though, clears his throat from behind me to catch my attention.

I turn just enough to see his face, wanting to get home and go to bed with Madara. He lifts his brow and looks down at his hands while they hold something invisible and suddenly his thumbs are moving about as if he's miming to me.

Deidara wants me to... text him?

He wins the award for making my face show the most emotion for that night, but after my incredulous expression fades, I give him a nod and head out on my way.

Making my way out of the actual hideout, I think of my mate. Was he feeling better? Would he go on another sleeping binge? Was there anything I could do?

After I get to a certain point in my travels, I teleport to the town that housed the school and continue on foot until I reach the campus gate.

The eyes from before are back. They were the ones that prevented me from teleporting on school grounds to skip to my Akatsuki meeting place. This guy, then Tobi, who's next on the 'lets stalk Itachi' list?

I almost want to click my teeth in annoyance. I just can't seem to catch a break, everyone was watching me today. I've felt all kinds of eyes watching me from a distance.

And I _still_ felt the ones that had been watching me on my way to the meeting.

Luckily, they seemed to have stayed within the school, otherwise they might have seen my teleportation technique and recognized it as Uchiha. They had to be demon or immortal, a human would not have waited in the same spot for me to appear for that long.

"Nii-san,"

Sasuke?

What was he doing out so late?

"Why are you out at this time of night, otouto?" He quickly schooled his features, proving that he was hiding something, but he replied in a nonchalant tone.

"Nothing really, talking with a class mate about a project."

I raise a brow, smirking, "What kind of project could be due so early in the year that would require planning until three in the morning?"

I expected a frown or a pout, but I instead received a clever response of, "Nice Akatsuki cloak."

Fuck.

I hadn't even thought about that. Before, I had waited until I was just outside of the Akatsuki base to bring it out, but when I left, it was the last thing on my mind. Thoughts of Sensei and Akatsuki and eyes and suspicions had clouded my mind and I had almost walked into a well-lit, open campus in the infamous garb.

"...Touche, Otouto." He smirks as I rid myself of the cloak and fold it to hold it in my arms.

We walk together until we arrive behind our dorm house.

"Sasuke, do you plan on following me into my apartment?"

He snorts slightly, "Why else would I continue to walk behind you?"

I don't fancy his smart ass mouth.

I sigh, "I'll make some food, then." My Sharingan tingles as it works to flash us both into the living room of my space.

The sight that meets me is a nightmare.

The living room is not so bad, just couch cushions littering the floor, things in general disarray, and the stereo had been linked to the radio channel on our television and was currently playing infectious South American music.

What the fuck does 'Rabiosa' mean?

Umm... "Madara-sama?"

Madara's messy head of hair became visible as he peered out from the kitchen. He looks like a curious animal, almost cute as he gives a sweet smile at my arrival.

"Itachi-kun..."

Well, it _was_ cute until he crept towards me like a sexy feline. Both Sasuke and I stood frozen awkwardly as he approached.

Madara appeared to almost strut along with the music, how one struts so fluidly is beyond me, but I suppose it had something to do with his strange brand of lazy grace. He had those bedroom eyes, dazed and purely red with no Sharingan hints to mar the crimson, but this time the color was deep and rich and almost-

I tensed as he tackled me- well, more like threw himself and collapsed on me- seeming to nuzzle his entire body into mine as he let out pleased humming noises. I shudder as my body reacts, all of my senses tuning to him. It was as if he was giving off pheromones or something, and _God_ it was good...

I jerk as I suddenly remember that my little brother is standing frozen in place, watching his ancestor feel up his Aniki and I push Madara off of me.

"Sensei, what is wrong with you?" I signal him with my face to play along, but it's as if he isn't in the right mind and he simply smiles.

"Nothing, boy, everything is great. Don't you like the songs on the television? Itachi, we should dance."

Suddenly I'm pulled to his chest and he lifts our bodies with frightening strength and proceeds waltz me around like his rag-doll, humming along with the song and ignoring my attempts to break free of his grip.

"M-Madara!" He giggles.

He fucking giggles.

Could he be drunk? If so, he had to be completely trashed.

"Nnn, 'Tachi, you smell good..." When he nuzzles his face into my neck and plants a kiss I freak out and knee him in the soft spot to get him off me.

I wince as the air that's knocked out of his lungs fans over my face and he crumples with a pitiful grunting noise. Damn it! God I'm such an asshole, I can even feel the anger of the bond, punishing me with a prickly sensation for abusing my mate in such a way. Hell, if Sasuke hadn't been here, a drunk Madara would've been a dream come true!

I kneel down, apologizing and preparing to comfort him in any way but I suddenly seize up as his clawed fingers grasp my throat with his teeth bared and his eyes were... glowing.

The room is suddenly cold and dark, and his voice is low. "Oooh, that was unwise boy..."

I scratched at his hand and Sasuke sprung forward to help me but Madara... repelled him somehow(1). I didn't have too long to think over it, though, because Madara was squeezing my neck until my eyes teared up and it was impossible to breathe. Madara pulls himself to a sitting position and slowly moves closer, eyes fixed on my neck, but he never gets there.

I blinked my eyes a few times before they shut completely and the last thing I see from one of those blinks is Sasuke getting to his feet and preparing to try again. I also see Madara flash him an insane glance that suggested my little brother would not walk away from this unharmed and I panicked.

When my eyes re-opened, I did what I absolutely had to. Madara was not in his right mind and I couldn't let him harm Sasuke. I frantically gasped for air as Madara's hold on my neck went slack and he slumped, but did not fall. I let my Sharingan fade as I released shaky breaths.

It had only been a second.

I hold my neck and stare at the half-conscious man that I had been in love with since I could remember- but I had never seen this side of. Our minds had been linked for one measly second and I watched clips of his life play out in hyper speed. Once, I was wandering the woods, then I was before the council, then I was fighting Senju, then I was being mated to Mikoto's first born, then I was killing someone, then I was attacking Konoha, then a man exploded, then I was at Izuna's funeral, then there was blood, then I was in a chamber covered with Senju seals...

My head ached and my body trembled as I felt everything. All of the pain, the confusion, the fear, the hate, the hurt, the fire of battle, the betrayal, the shame, the power, everything...

This must be why he lost it at Deidara's when I put him to sleep. I must have unlocked some barrier that kept these memories from bombarding him at random, completely uncontrolled. He obviously didn't want that kind of mind-assault.

But maybe _I_ wanted them bombarding _me_.

I knelt down and took his face in my hands to reconnect our eyes. Sensei was vulnerable and unprotected, so I could learn even more about him. If I can get disorganized clips from just a brief glance, then I can only imaging what I'd get from such a defenseless mind if I actually _tried_.

I was back in, but I was wandering around in the dark. I clung to the first image and watched what seemed to be at the forefront of Madara's mind.

I ended up in the last memory I had seen, that dungeon with the seals.

The glow of the room was strangely yellow and I couldn't figure out why. I was about to step forward but something appeared in front of me a few feet away. It was Sensei, but he was chained to a wall, struggling to regain consciousness.

I panic, desperately hoping that _I _hadn't been the one responsible for making him like this. Some people reacted differently to Sharingan invasion or hypnosis and I wondered if that was why he was so against it.

When I moved to approach him, the glow flickered angrily and the shackles on his arms tightened, forcing him awake with agony. Strangely, I felt his pain as well, so I remained still for fear of hurting the both of us once more. Madara slouched against the wall panting as I try to figure out why this was happening.

I had never entered a memory that engaged me like this. The seals on the walls made me sick, the seals on the shackles that held Madara burn the flesh of my wrists, dread crept into my stomach when I saw the silhouette of a man clad in Senju armor walking into the chamber. It amazed me that the bond would tie us so completely.

I called out to Madara but he wouldn't respond, so I could only watch as the man, clearly responsible for the torture of my mate, advanced. I felt the sting of thin metal slapping against my cheek when the man struck Madara with a whipping rod and I stumbled.

As I was about to pull out of the memory, Madara's face stopped me in my tracks.

His face now had a large gash, courtesy of the rod, but it was healing with an almost disgusting speed, even for a demon. Madara's eyes were swirling with a pinkish red and his teeth were dangerously pointed and bared at the man as he hissed.

Something in my gut told me that this wasn't part of this memory, and I'm only reassured when Madara turns to me out of the blue. He looks exactly like how my mother looked the last time I relived the massacre, only even less sane.

The chambers faded, the man disappeared and the shackles disintegrated, leaving me alone with this beast that had devoured my master. It crept toward me in a drunken manor and I almost feared what would happen once it got closer.

It stopped about a yard away from me, giving me a pleased once-over before putting forth a beastly grin. It's hand was brought up and a single finger beckoned me to approach.

It was almost funny. This evil thing had taken over my Sensei and it expected me to just walk over to it? I would never do something so senseless and stupid, not in a million years.

But I did.

It didn't make sense, but I was being pulled, attracted by this creature had somehow become apart of my beloved master and something in my core loved this _thing_ just as much.

I took a shaky few step forward, anticipation building with each inch that was no longer between us and I watched as he licked his lips when I could no longer physically get any closer to him without us fusing into one person, literally skin on skin.

His animal eyes went from my eyes, to my lips, to my neck and he bowed his head to place a small kiss there.

For a split second, I thought, _'How can such a beast be so gentle?' _but I suddenly let out a hoarse yell, collapsing and holding my head.

That one little kiss seemed to inject pictures into my skull, moving pictures that were a dark, liquid red.

They were Madara's, and they hurt, and they felt so good. I imagined us together, him sinking his teeth into me around that mark, but for some reason, he wouldn't stop there and it didn't bother me. What reason would he had to continue making me bleed? I didn't care.

The images progressively got worse, more gory, more bloody, and for some reason, erotic. As I sit on my knees, still holding my head, I almost cry out. Such images are hard to bear, and I can only imagine living through them. I open my eyes to see the beastly version of Madara slowly kneel down and run his fingers down my scrunched face, looking at me with an animal's eyes. This animal quickly went from gentle and concerned to something frightening. The red eyes glowed and narrowed and he bared his teeth like a weapon. I didn't know what to be more entranced with, the foreign orbs or the long, threatening canines.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.

I was back in the apartment, Sasuke was gripping my shoulder and I was panting heavily as I watch Madara collapse into my lap.

"He's not going to be happy that you did that. You remember last time at Deidara's house..." I only vaguely register what he's saying, still slightly disturbed by my sneak-peek into Madara's mysterious mind. Damn, that was fucking weird.

I shake my head to rid my mind of what it had just witnessed before turning to Sasuke, "He pretty much attacked me, so technically it's his fault." I say, trying to reason away my crime. I pick up Madara's limp body and lay him on the couch, frowning in confusion.

Did Madara feel... heavier? I looked down at him, examining his strangely healthy looking features. No sick pallor, no dark circles, nothing of the sort. I even 'accidentally' lifted his shirt to steal a glance as he lay on the couch, stealthily running my fingers over the flesh of his abdomen.

The other day I had been able to see his ribs, but now, his flesh was full and had a pleasant glow to it.

Even stranger, all of his scars were gone.

I back away and head to the kitchen like nothing was wrong, but as I pull food out of the refrigerator, my mind is going a mile a minute. How had the scars disappeared like that? What was with all the energy? Just before I left he was practically dead on his feet, now he had the energy to tackle me and then almost strangle me to death? I was no weakling, either, so the fact that I was unable to push him away while he was holding me just enough to _dance_ was unbelievable, and a bit scary.

In any battle, someone's hands around my neck would not bring any harm; I'm not that breakable. Sensei, though, had been collapsing my throat with the thumb and fingers of only his left hand.

He's right-handed.

Even more so unbelievable and scary was the fact that he seemed to have no qualms about following through with this act and choking the life out of me.

This seemed to make my chest unbearably heavy and I had to drop the package of noodles in order to grab the counter and hold my weight. A dry sob escaped my throat, but there were no tears, so I could cover my mouth and pass it off as a cough when Sasuke walked in to check on me.

"Nii-san?" I bit my lip and composed myself, looking at him indifferently.

"Yes, Sasuke? What do you need?" He looked down at the noodles and stepped forward to pick them up.

I took them when he handed them to me, but his grip sustained when I tried to take them from his hand and I was forced to meet his eyes. His face was as cold and mean-looking as any Uchiha's, and the calculating squint of his eyes only made it worse. After a couple of seconds of that confused thinking expression, he found what he wanted to say. "Nii-san, you are upset." All of that thinking for such a simple statement? It seems he has inherited a rather bad case of emotional retardation. Ah, the downsides of being an Uchiha.

I try to raise a brow and look intimidating, and it works for a second, but he holds strong. Sasuke's eyes flicker to Madara and back to me, "There is clearly something wrong with him. I don't know him like you might, but I've seen a side of him that says he's not as bad as he seems. He didn't mean it." I snatch the noodles from his hand and glare.

I don't want Sasuke seeing those sides of Madara, those were mine.

Still, I _do _feel better. Perhaps he isn't so emotionally retarded? I wonder where Sasuke learned how to comfort people.

"Since when are you compassionate, Otouto?" Of course I'm exaggerating, but he still bristles.

I continue to get under his skin, diverting attention away from me and my own problems, "It's only been two days that you've been immersed in that sea of humans and other little younglings, have they already rubbed off on you?" He grimaced and went to sit at the table, but I pressed on.

"Or perhaps it's just one that has caught your eye?" He stiffened and my smirk only gets bigger.

"Oh, so someone has?" He glares at me, "Tell me, otouto, is she pretty?" The glare intensifies.

My mind is no longer on my troubles, but wrapped up in my brother's, Sasuke had a way of doing that.

My grin reaches wicked proportions and I lean on the table, positioned directly across from him. To anyone else, he was unreadable, but we Uchiha knew exactly what to look for in one another, what buttons to push to get the answers we want. I stare at him, taking in his squinted eyes, the uncomfortable frown, the nervous twitch, it was all there.

One little twitch of his eye told me exactly which question to ask next.

"Is _he _pretty?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Sasuke's eyes widened and his brows furrowed angrily, but he wasn't angry, he was embarrassed.

It had been the funniest thing I'd ever seen.

"Well, I'd never taken you for the type to find men attractive, otouto."

He growled, "I could say the same to you, Nii-san, but then again, Deidara _does_ look like a woman."

I freeze, then glare, then swing.

"Ow! Fuck!" He grips his cheek, staring at me as if I'd grown another head. "I'm not Madara, you can't just hit me like that!"

My hand is quickly retracted in regret and I move forward immediately, "I-I'm sorry Sasuke! I wasn't thinking!" I made sure he was okay and whispered, "Where did you get that idea? Both the Deidara and the Madara things," I was suddenly fearful that he had figured out about me and Madara somehow.

He glared and straightens, but still leans away from me, speaking in an unsure tone, "Well, I was just saying that you can't go crazy and beat the shit out of people like that. You and Madara may ambush each other all the time, but I'm not about to take that. Normal people don't attack each other for fun."

I hold back a sigh in relief. Safe on that side...

"We've been teacher and student for years, it's just how we solve problems now." I had thought he was speaking of a relationship between us.

Sasuke nods in faux-understanding, so I move to the next topic, whispering slightly. "And what gave you the idea about Deidara?"

He looks conflicted for a bit, then he straightens and gives me a disturbed look, "When I was there, the hamper had abandoned sheets with your combines scents on them. I simply took the context clues into account." He smirked, "You guys weren't very sneaky, I wasn't aware that it was a big secret..."

God I hated that smart mouth.

Suddenly, a smooth deep voice seeped into the awkward atmosphere of the room, "I wasn't aware of this secret either, boy."

Fuck.

I _really_ hated that smart mouth.

–

**Sasuke**

Why are we Uchiha so awkward? We were all just _sitting _here.

It seemed as if Madara was feeling a bit more... sober(I was convince he was high on something, probably the same thing he had been on just before we left the Uchiha manor awhile back)(2). He was no longer trying to kill or dance with us, but he was so... aware, I guess. I felt like I could see every angry twitch of his muscles even without my eyes activated. He was like a robot, the few movements he made were precise and dangerous looking, and his eyes were sharp and deadly just like those movements.

Those eyes were hunting, though, a predator's eyes, and one thing was for sure, he wasn't taking those eyes off of Itachi.

I don't know why a student's love-life was any of the sensei's business, but I chose to keep my mouth shut. I felt guilty for revealing a secret of Itachi's, and frankly, I was worried that if I opened my mouth and brought any attention to myself that Itachi would ask more about where I got the information on Deidara(That, or Madara's killer stare would be on me). That made-up bullshit about the clothes hamper _sounded_ legit, but what if Itachi saw through it?

Then attention would be brought to my first true ally. I couldn't do that to Naruto, especially when I had sworn to protect him.

So now, I was silent. Itachi was silent. Madara was silent.

We were all doing different things. I was watching my relatives, wondering when Itachi would explode under Madara's hard, angry glare. My brother wouldn't meet his eyes and he sprung up at the sound of the microwave. "Cup noodles are done..." He said in a tone I had never heard from him. Hmm, Naruto likes cup noodles...

Instead of following Itachi, I gave Madara my full attention. After he had woken up and overheard that Itachi screwed Deidara, the air had been so thick that it was nearly suffocating me, so I can only wonder how Itachi had been able to stand it this long.

Itachi sat back down at the table, two cup noodles in hand, one for me and one for him. He had given up on making any real food, since standing up under Madara's heavy gaze appeared to make him immensely uncomfortable, so as soon as he could, he sat back down, still not meeting his sensei's eyes.

I watched as Madara snatched Itachi's noodles and began to eat them rather quickly, still not moving his eyes from Itachi.

I still, for some reason, expect Itachi to kick his ass or glare or _something_, but it seems as though Madara is the exception to every normal response from Itachi. Itachi simply continues to look down like a kicked puppy. I didn't know how to make it better, and even if I did, I'm not sure if I would have the balls to, because instinct told me that I didn't want to cross Madara in this.

I didn't think it could get any worse, any more tense, but I was wrong.

Madara placed his chopsticks on the table and folded his hands under his chin, "So, boy, tell me of how this 'Deidara' scandal came about?" If one looked hard enough, they could see Itachi wince.

Madara pushed on coldly, "You had always been a rather needy child, you know, so it's completely understandable that you had been unable to smother your craving for a warm body." I jumped as he turned to me, "Did you know that about your brother, Sasuke? That he had always been weak to tender feelings?" He leaned forward to hear my response, but I couldn't make one.

It was so painfully awkward for me, to watch Madara tear Itachi down. What I couldn't figure out was why. They seemed almost friendly with each other, and I had always heard that friends are kind to one another.

"I'm waiting for an answer, Sasuke." I shook my head for lack of better response, and as self-preserving as it sounded, I almost sighed in relief when he fixed his intimidating gaze back to Itachi.

"Well, Sasuke, it's true. You see, Itachi was always strong outside, but his heart is like putty, and the flesh is connected to the heart, you know. I'm sure Itachi just couldn't wait to give his heart and flesh to the first pretty thing he laid his eyes on, regardless of prior swearings, isn't that right, boy?"

Itachi is silent.

Now I _know_ I'm missing something, but Madara was being to choosy with his words to reveal that particular piece of the puzzle, so I could only watch.

Madara glares, "Isn't. That. Right. Boy?"

Itachi exhales shakily, but manages to answer after a few seconds of silence. "No, Madara-sama, that is not righ-."

"I beg to differ, _boy_." Madara's voice was raised and spit out the last word like poison. I thought Itachi would cry, and I had never seen him cry for _anything_, especially not any_one_. When Itachi first realized that Madara had over-heard, he looked ready to head for the hills, but at the time, I hadn't been able to figure out why. I can sure as hell see it now though.

I wouldn't want to face Madara's wrath for anything.

"It seems like you've been harboring quite a few secrets, hm Itachi?" This seems to have crossed the line, because suddenly Itachi's mask is in place and he's standing.

"I can say the same to you, Sensei. What have _you_ been hiding, hn?!"

"Certainly not betrayal!"

"Now _I _beg to differ!"

There's an angry silence on both parts. They were both standing, glaring at each other's faces with their hands fisted at their sides. They were both trying to look down at the other, both had their eyes bright red and their necks were craned threateningly. It was like watching two alpha wolves circle each other, completely prepared to snap and tear the other's throat.

"Sasuke, get out." I don't know which of them said it, for both of their voices were venomous hisses, but it made me jump. I stayed frozen, half wanting to help if someone lost a limb, half wanting to witness the fight. My eyes flickered from the door to my relatives and back again before I heard Madara's voice roar.

"Get. Out!" I took off.

Man, have I got a story to tell Naruto when we meet again.

–

**Madara**

Fucking little whore.

I was so furious that I couldn't even think.

How could he? How could he betray our bond?

So I asked, "Itachi, how could you betray our bond like that?" and to my surprise, _he _looked upset.

"Please, you act as if you've never slept with someone else!" I know my mouth is gaping in disbelief.

"Long before you were even born, boy! I sure as hell never slept with anyone with your name on my neck!" He backed off a bit, faltering in his argument, and I continued, "Tell me, does he ask why a name is on _your_ neck? Has his mouth been there, hn?"

Just the thought of that stupid blonde touching what belonged to me... Itachi was mine- is mine! He will always be mine! My blood boiled with jealously rather than anger, and I had completely forgotten the fact that Itachi had knocked me out a mere half-hour before, having found something even more infuriating to rage on about.

Itachi looks offended at my question but I still wanted to know. I couldn't stand to think that Deidara's mouth had left kisses over the scar of my name.

He sneers, "No! Don't act like this, Sensei! You don't know how it was!" I gave him an incredulous look that begged him for an explanation, because frankly, the whole 'You don't know what it was like!' excuse was complete bullshit.

"You've been a corpse in a hole since _just_ after we were bonded together! I thought that you would never be free again, and because of the curses on the well, as your bond-mate I couldn't free you. I thought that our mark was just a scar now, that it was dead and there was no chance that you or it would live again." His chest heaved and he looked away from me.

"Had I known that you would come back, I wouldn't have even breathed for another person." I gaped, not expected that answer.

That's what this is about?

Had Itachi lost hope? Did he truly think I was done, that I wouldn't find my way back? Sure, returning to Itachi as a mate was not my initial goal, just getting out of the well was, but my ex-pupil had definitely been high on my priority list, bond-mate or not.

Itachi had obtained a chunk of my heart from the beginning, no matter what I said about him in my anger. To be perfectly honest, I felt like shit.

I was still furious, the beast within still wanted to leave marks all over him, but he was my... boy. He would always be dear to me, no matter how he crossed me, and I felt that angry monster within reaching to him with intentions that were not only of harm. I gazed upon his pitiful form as he looked down in his utter shame. What was the phrase? Like a kicked puppy? I couldn't remain angry at him for losing faith in me, not when he looked like that. I wanted to 'comfort' him, as awful as that sounded, but I also wanted to hurt him, and I couldn't decide if it was me or my inner demon.

Even if the betrayal was forgiven, it will not be forgotten. We Uchiha are vengeful creatures.

"Itachi," I called, and he met my eyes, "Come here."

He stepped forward cautiously, and for good reason, because as soon as he was within arm's length, I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and jerked him forward. Itachi made a small noise of surprise in the back of his throat when we came face to face and I sneered, glaring at him while he eyed my bared teeth.

Itachi was wise to be afraid when I am angry, but that doesn't mean anything when he was in this situation for being unwise in the first place.

"Tell me, boy, what exactly does that 'stamp' on your neck say?" He hesitates, probably wondering if this was some kind of trick question or mind game.

With narrowed eyes, he answers, "It says 'Madara'..." and he relaxes when I nod and release him, caressing his face with a smirk.

"Yes, and do you know what that means?" My tone is sweet, almost innocent, but that only throws Itachi off more. He seems unsure and I can't help but cackle maniacally in my mind.

I take a step forward, then another, and another, and Itachi is forced to walk backwards until there is a mere inch of space left between him and the wall.

The hand that had been touching his cheek crept down to his neck to brush over the inked-looking scar there before the fingers of said hand wrapped around his neck for the second time that night and held strong, ignoring Itachi's gasps.

"It means that _this_-" I emphasize with a choking squeeze, "belongs to _me_."

I release his neck and trail both hands down his arms. He doesn't fight me, probably because he knows I'll win (and because he is at fault), so I do as I please and listen to all of the cute little terrified sounds he keeps making.

When my fingertips reach his, I grasp his hands in a death grip, grinning as I hear a knuckle snap.

"_These_-" I place the bruised hands in between our faces, "are _mine_. You will not touch anyone else with these hands or I will break them." I must have looked insane when I cocked my head to the side with my eyes so comically wide, but sanity was far from my mind.

Itachi let out a harsh pant when I carelessly let his mildly crippled hands fall in favor of grabbing his chin. His eyes nearly cross as he attempts to look me in the eyes, then the mouth. I smirk at him and slam our mouths together. It is a harsh, vengeful kiss and it was bordering on painfully uncomfortable but I didn't care. I _wanted_ Itachi's mouth to bruise. I wanted him to remember this lesson tomorrow when he pursed his lips or smiled at anyone besides me.

He whimpers into my mouth and I can feel myself becoming hard. I bite and nibble at his lips, letting my tongue recklessly explore his frightened mouth. After I'm sure he's nearly suffocated, I release him, delighting in the way he desperately pants but licks his lips anyway.

"That mouth," I pat his cheek two times, lightly of course, "belongs to only _me_." He licks his lips once more and nods.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was enjoying this too much to call it punishment.

My smirk turns into a grin, and my grin turns lecherous. My hands grip his hips to pull him closer, so close that there is no room between us. I lick my own lips as my hands snake behind him and grab at his behind. Itachi makes a slightly uncomfortable noise, but I ignore it and kneed at the muscles until his uncomfortable noise sound otherwise.

"Has Deidara ever had you, boy?" And he leans back a bit to give me a confused look.

I give a meaningful squeeze and ask again. Realization dawns on his face and he fervently shakes his head. "No! No, Sensei..." and he has the decency to look offended at the idea.

I lean forward until my mouth is against his ear and he shivers, "Good... I can't wait to have at least _this_ part of your virginity..." He groans, a sound slightly aroused and slightly scared, both for good reason.

Before he could get too used to the hands at his behind, I pushed him into the wall, hard. Itachi's face scrunches up in confusion, then surprise as I'm once again in front of him.

Quicker than he could possibly think, I none-too-gently grabbed him where it mattered. He gave a choked coughing sound and nearly doubled over. I had to lean down slightly, but I put my mouth at his ear once more and whispered.

"And _this_, boy-" I began to rub sensually, "will be mine soon enough."

I let my hand dive down into his pants to grab hold of his manly parts. Itachi whimpers and I smirk at my handful, licking my lips before letting my other hand tug the hem of his pants so I could lean down and give my soon-to-be prize a quick kiss before I walk away, leaving Itachi to slide down the wall with his pants undone.

As he lay there on the floor, shocked beyond belief, I walk away as if nothing ever happened. As I get to my bedroom, I turn and stand in the doorway, leaning against the door frame to admire my work.

"It's been a long time since you've received a lesson from Sensei. You will do well to remember everything I just taught you, got that, boy?" He gives a shaky nod, still unable to meet my eyes and I grin.

"Come to my bed any time, my love." And I shut the door behind me.

Okay, so maybe that's not how you really 'forgive' someone, but that's how _I _did it...

There was a large chance that he would be sleeping in the living room after that little stunt of mine. I didn't really mind all that much, but I was confident that I properly exacted my revenge.

I just hoped that he would forget all about what just happened when his manly parts truly _do_ become mine, because I'm slightly afraid of Itachi exacting his _own_ revenge for what I just did...

May Itachi have mercy on my soul.

...And my prostate.

–

**Naruto **

Not even two minutes after Sasuke leaves my room, I get a text from the last person I wanted to hear from.

Sai.

Now, I didn't really have anything against him, besides the fact that he's a creepy pervert, but any time Sai sent my team a text, it was never good news.

_Akatsuki spotted on mission site._

Fuck, Itachi.

It had to be him, but why parade around the campus in such a conspicuous outfit? Was this the new Akatsuki base or something?

I'm being sarcastic, of course, because the site of a watch-mission turning out to be the Akatsuki base would be far too ironic. Even more so when you consider the fact that this mission was given to the only team that consisted of not only one, but two jinchuuriki, a species that just so happened to be Akatsuki's only known target.

How funny. How bitterly funny.

What didn't sit right with me is indeed the only other question– why? I felt as if someone was holding back information again, be it Kurama or Sasuke, I was unsure. The object of this pact was trust, but not all goals were so easily accomplished and doubt was already starting to creep in.

Such timing couldn't be a coincidence, right? It sounded like a plot of some sort. Sasuke distracts me with a meeting, Itachi purposely gets seen in Akatsuki garbs, and perhaps Sai reports it, and perhaps Sasuke says I broke my oath, and perhaps he tells Akatsuki, or worse (in my case), Madara, who I am, and perhaps all hell breaks loose.

It sounded plausible, if only _I_ hadn't been the one to set up the meeting, and Itachi didn't seem like the type to draw attention on purpose, because after what Sasuke told me, Itachi wanted the very opposite.

I can only pray that Sai hasn't reported it, though.

I begin my reply, _Did you get a good look at 'em?_ I really hope not. I didn't say 'him' or 'her' in the text because I had learned a long time ago that it's better to be seen as ignorant and unaware than to be seen as too informed.

I wait for what seems like years, damning Sai's tendency to reply so slowly. The window is only a few steps away and I find myself glancing to it in the time it takes for him to return my text.

My phone vibrates in my hand and I nearly drop it trying to open the message.

_No, he was too far away. Someone is joining him now._

Sasuke... God damn it. Who else would it possibly be? I growl in the back of my throat, a sound that couldn't really be called mine, but couldn't belong to Kyuubi either.

Wait, if it's Sasuke, then that means that he and Itachi have to be in the courtyard directly below my window, right? He literally just left, so he can't be far.

Despite the short distance, I nearly teleport, just to get to my window that much faster. My eyes dart around the grounds outside, settling on two dark haired figures in the shadows before scanning the area once more in hopes of finding where Sai is lurking.

My fingers fly over the keyboard of my phone. _Can you at least _kinda_ describe them? _So maybe I could at least figure out where he's watching them from.

And with all the faux optimism thrown into that text I can be sure that he'll think I mean it, that I'm sincerely concerned about the two 'mystery' evils, because Sai has never been good at sensing these things, especially not in text.

I look out the window again, peaking through my blinds discreetly and watching the two Uchiha mingle. Itachi is removing his Akatsuki cloak, most likely because Sasuke's said something about it, and they start moving out of the shadows.

I jump when my phone buzzes again. _It looks like two Asian males, probably your age, but that's all I can tell you._

I reply with- _Damn, there are like a thousand Asians in this school alone. _And this will hopefully discourage him singling out any who fit the lackluster description. I watch as the brothers wonder off together in the direction of the teacher dorms and I can't help but feel uncomfortable with the thought of three Uchiha having some creepy ritual meeting of evil spells so close to my Iruka and his sweet little girl.

**Uchiha Madara is the only one who knows any spell and such by heart.**

Okay, still uncomfortable, but a _little_ less.

**Well, he should be the only one. I'm not exactly up to date with the Uchiha...**

...Once again. Thank you, Kurama.

I opened the phone to read- _I see._ in my inbox, and that was usually a conversation stopper, so when my phone buzzed yet again, I was surprised. I expected an awkward, gay, sex-related goodnight, or something of that nature, from Sai, but I got a text from Gaara instead.

_I think I hate Neji. _Ha.

It was a strange text to get because Gaara hadn't said he hated anybody since he last talked to his father, plus, Gaara's had a crush on Neji since we were like thirteen.

Okay, 'crush' sounds too girly, but Gaara has liked him for years now.

_What happened?_

Right as I finish typing the text, Neji throws the door open and stomps inside. I almost have to laugh at him, because he's always so polite and proper in front of his captains. Maybe that's what happened when he and Gaara were hanging out? I didn't see Neji as the type to get fresh, but perhaps he didn't show Gaara the amount of respect that said red-headed captain was accustomed to from him.

Hyuuga soon realizes that he's not alone and he quickly pulls himself together. I try to put forth a smile, but he doesn't return it.

"Uh..." I start off awkwardly, "Bad day with Gaara?" and he fumes.

"He just kicked me out. _Me_! Then he threatened me!" He plopped down onto his bed angrily and I had to force myself not to laugh. This was so different from the Neji that I was used to on missions.

I choke on my laughter when I receive a glare, "Um, what did you do exactly?" He huffed.

"I don't know, we were just hanging out and he slowly got more and more pissy and he just kicked me out!" I hummed sarcastically. Neji was probably being an arrogant douche to 'impress' Gaara, little does he know, Gaara isn't about all that. In front of superiors and comrades, Neji was the essence of grace. Here, though, I noticed that he's a bit full of himself and his Hyuuga status, despite being a branch Hyuuga. It seemed as though he was showing out a bit, because he acted a bit more comfortable being all graceful and shit, but I couldn't say for certain.

I sigh, frustrated. I was going to have to be the love doctor all freaking night, I could already tell. It's already almost two in the morning, but, because I love my friend, I sit there and council his soon-to-be boyfriend on how to 'be yourself'. Yeah, I had a blast. To add to it, I was sending texts to Gaara all the while.

It was a long night, and frankly it only added to the building stress.

The nemesis of the demon in my belly was posing as a teacher with his gay incestuous lover and said lover's little brother who happens to know way too much about me.

I now had an alliance with said evil demo- I mean, little brother.

We just exposed everything about ourselves to each other.

I currently feel eternally fucked. And vulnerable, let's not forget that.

Oh, and my best friend, also my partner in battle and past fuck buddy, is currently having relationship issues with one of our team-mates, who has no idea that he's seeing his captain.

Isn't there a rule that the universe has to follow on stuff like this?

I could see it now- _The Golden Rule of The Universe: You can't dish out too much shit on one kid._

Yeah, that should be a thing.

–

**Deidara**

I'm on top of the fucking world, baby.

I felt like dancing on my roof, setting of bombs and fireworks alike, but as Naruto said, that would only give my neighbors another excuse to hate me and steal my mail.

Plus, it would probably make Sasori have second thoughts about what we just did.

Hell yeah, that's right. I finally shagged Sasori no Danna.

I looked over at him as he slept, admiring his smooth, young-skin. Tell me how someone with the body of a sixteen year old was such an old geezer? He was cool, calm and collected and so much more mature than me, as he often reminded me.

Seriously not fair.

It started as _'Hey, Sasori no Danna! You should sleep at my house, un, you know it's close by!'_ and he replied with, _'I don't sleep in puppet form, you moron.' _and then we got into a fight, but that's only natural. I always forgot about him being a puppet.

I know, you're probably thinking 'Um, the guy is made of wood, how do you forget?', but it happens sometimes, un!

I don't know, he's just, Sasori no Danna! Believe it or not, he talks with so much emotion- be them cranky, angry emotions- and he's so into his art like I am. I just click with the guy- ...er, puppet.

We fight all the way to my house, then when we get there, we just sit in silence, which is kind of weird for me, but I endure for his sake. He looks at me and studies my face for awhile and I stare into the dead, artificial eyes that somehow are capable of watching me. After a good while, he speaks.

"Deidara," He pauses. "do you think gathering the jinchuuriki is..." and he doesn't finish because he can't find the right word.

I understand, though. There isn't really a word for what he needs to say, because this word is actually all kinds of other words compacted into one unspeakable thing that can't be pronounced, and a one-word replacement just doesn't cut it.

It's something like 'reasonable' and 'purposeful' and 'right' and 'necessary', but even those aren't right.

What would be a better thing to ask is 'Why are we doing this?' and I would only have _my _answer.

I couldn't tell you why Itachi was doing this, or why Kisame was doing this, or Tobi, or Hidan, or Kakuzu- well, he was probably in it for the bounty... But I couldn't tell you why Zet- well, he probably ate our enemies, free food and all, plus he followed Pein like a lost puppy... And so did Konan... Pein was probably just wanting to dominate the world...

Okay, so I could tell you why _some_ of the members were in this, but I couldn't tell Sasori why _he_ was in it.

I looked at him before leaning back on my couch and shaking my head, "I don't know, un..."

Instead of looking discouraged by my answer, he seemed a bit relieved, like he was glad that he wasn't the only one doubting himself. It made me wonder if he was thinking about the one tails. We learned at the meeting that the one tails was from the same part of Suna that Sasori was from, so he and I would be responsible for hunting him.

When Zetsu described him to us, Sasori looked a bit unsettled, as if he knew exactly who we were looking for. Hell, _I_ felt unsettled. That one tails sounded a hell of a lot like that emo kid that Naruto befriended, the one with no eye brows and too much eye liner.

What if it _was_ him?

Could I live my life knowing that I had killed Naruto's best friend? What if the kid was like Naruto and he had no idea? And what if Naruto's there when we attack? Aren't they attending the same boarding school? That's what Naruto told me...

"Deidara, do you think- well, it's almost righteous, isn't it? We'd be freeing them from the monsters that torment their minds..." And I feel bad for him. I'd never seen Sasori try to justify his actions, so it only backed my theory that he knew the one tails, perhaps was related, because I hadn't seen many red-heads the one time I had visited Suna.

I frowned. "Well, what if it's become apart of them, un?" He gives me a suspicious look that makes me wonder if I'm crossing boundaries or being too obvious.

"What do you mean?" and, in a freaky way, his eyebrow raises.

I bite my lip and the mouths on my hand unconsciously imitate the alpha mouth. "I mean, I'm sure they've adapted, un. I hear that the eight tails in Lightning has pretty much mastered his bijuu, un, so what if we're taking a part of them? Not to mention we're killing them, too, un." I sneak a glance at him to find his face pointed to the floor.

He speaks quietly, "I'm not sure if I will end up making the right decision." And I only look at him. I couldn't really call it staring, because that usually implied shock or gave off creepy vibes, but I wasn't doing that. I was just watching him, because it felt like Sasori had undone the seal on his only living feature and has turned into something that lived and breathed and felt.

I craved for it, for him to do that for real because he told me it could be done. Sasori could become touchable with the right seal, the right technique and that thought thrilled me and kept me persistent with him in hopes that I could be the first to touch him.

Another thought that kept me persistent was that even in this form, he could still doubt and feel. It seemed to say that no matter how hard you try to turn yourself into a monster, you'll never be able to get rid of certain things that anchor you to your heart.

Here he was in his non-living form thinking about whether or not it would be right to kill someone. It really shouldn't matter if you're a monster, a puppet, an assassin, but it does.

I watched for only a few minutes longer before saying, "Don't worry, un, I'll keep you from making the wrong choice, Sasori no Danna." And had I known saying that to him would make me crave no more, I would have said it the very first time we met.

He turned to me and we stared at each other for a long time before he looked down at himself and did some strange maneuver with his chakra strings. I watched on as he began to turn soft and smooth and alive like some kind of fairy tale. When this transformation was done, we watched each other again, but this time it truly _could_ be called a stare, at least on my part because there was a disturbed fascination. His eyes were still unreadable, but they were alive and pretty and _alive_ and I just couldn't get over it.

Sasori leaned toward me, and I unconsciously did the same until our eyelashes were mingling. His bedroom eyes were soft and seductive and alive and I loved them.

"This one doesn't count," he said with a smirk, and due to all the lust in the air, it took me a good minute to realize that he was saying that 'us' could possibly be one of his wrong choices. I was about to go off on a rant like I usually do, but before any words could come out his mouth was on mine and I had lost all interest in speaking.

Now, he was sleeping and he was beautiful and he was alive. I had to rid the couch of the smell of sex, but Naruto wouldn't be home from his fancy school until a three-day weekend came along, so the couch would probably smell like that for quite awhile.

Yeah, I'm a pervert.

I look away from Sasori to stare out the window.

Maybe I could convince Sasori to help me, to make sure the Jinchuuriki were kept safe and untouched. It was possible, he already seemed to doubt the Akatsuki, so perhaps he could be my partner in this as well.

I crawled up Sasori's body, wincing at the discomfort in my _lower_ back, and laid myself next to him. I really regret not pulling out the bed to this couch, but it hadn't really been at the forefront of my mind at the time.

I snuggled next to Sasori, letting my finger trace the Kanji over his skin that took the place of his puppet heart. He hummed and his voice sounded young, and I almost laughed. I just slept with someone who is technically younger than my little brother.

When he held me closer to him, I couldn't really bring myself to care.

–

**Itachi **

_The Next Day_

As soon as I woke up this morning, I got dressed, tapped on Madara's bedroom door and headed to class. There was no way in hell I was facing him after last night. I don't know what the fuck was wrong with him, but it was freaking me out. First he almost kills Sasuke and I, then he brutally molests me, key word being 'brutally', and then he just goes to bed?

And let's not forget how sweetly nonchalant some of these actions were. He even _kissed_ my _dick_.

I don't know what has gotten into him, but it feels... wrong, yet right at the same time. It sends me weird vibes, both pleasant and unpleasant, but at the moment, they leaned heavily toward the latter. Last night had been a disaster. I'm so filled with shame that I could crawl into Madara's well and stay there forever. Will I ever be able to look him in the eye ever again?

I sigh as the first bell for class rings and let the students in. I look across the hall and see that Mada- 'Kurosawa' has yet to arrive to his class room.

Umino noticed as well.

Damn it all. I really didn't want to sit through some pleasantry conversation while I was still wallowing in my 'I cheated on my mate' shame.

He approached in a sunny manner, "Karasu-san, good morning! Kurosawa having a late start?" I wince, unable to stop myself.

"Um, yes, I guess so..." and he quirks his eyebrow.

"'You guess'? Don't you two live together?" and his quirked eyebrows bounce up and down suggestively, a gesture I wouldn't expect from him.

I clear my throat awkwardly, ignoring his implication, "Ahem, yes, we do. I just haven't spoken to him this morning..."

He frowns, "Lover's quarrel?" and I promptly begin choking on air. Did he really just say that?

It was blatantly obvious that he was just trying to be friendly or familiar with, but talking about my love life with a stranger is a little fast for me...

He immediately began patting my back and apologizing, "I'm sorry Karasu-san! Oh god, how embarrassing, I didn't mean to be- um..." but there wasn't enough damage control in the world to save this situation.

Umino backs away awkwardly as the late bell rings, "Oh, well look at that, there's the bell!" And he makes a hasty escape to his class room, calling over his shoulder, "See you at lunch!" before shutting his door.

I feel my face twitch and a shake my head as I go to my own class room to start the day.

"Shut up." and the once once-chatty class is silent. Hm, fast learners.

I smirk at my first period, hoping that Sasuke's class will be as compliant. I begin writing intermediate Kanji on the white board as I speak. "For warm up, you will do drills. Translate each of these words and phrases into their simplest form, then write a sentence with each as the subject." and the universal groan is music to my ears.

I really _should _be a sensei, I enjoy a student's despair as much as Madara had enjoyed mine.

I stood at the front and watched their frustrated faces with a bit of amusement until my phone vibrated rather loudly, eliciting amusement from the students at my jump.

I glare at them before checking the message, praying to anyone who cared that the message wasn't from Madara.

_Guess who got freaky with AkaSuna no Sasori last night? THIS GUY! :D_

I almost didn't recognize who was texting me(I'm used to hearing 'un' every two seconds), but the 'Sasori' thing was a dead give away. I never texted him like I was supposed to last night, did I?

As I was typing a witty reply, a dangerous thought occurred. What if Madara and Deidara see each other again? What would happen? Madara would probably murder him... What if that's why Madara is late to his class? Could he be hunting Deidara? _Would _he do that?

In the past I would have answered 'No, he would never. He doesn't care enough to do that, and that kind of thing is below him.', but with how insane he's been lately, I couldn't answer that question with any certainty.

As the students continued working I made my way into the hallway to see if Madara had arrived yet.

The door was still locked. Students were leaning against the wall, rolling their eyes, listening to ipods and cursing 'Kurosawa'. I even heard one student say he was almost as bad as that Kakashi, which made me laugh. There were many things Hatake was famous for, the top two being his copy eye and his tardiness.

I could only hope that he lived up to the latter trait and showed up several weeks later than when he was due to arrive here. Better yet, I hope he doesn't arrive at all. Sure, no konoha(or other) citizens have recognized us yet, but Kakashi most definitely will recognize _me_.

I walked up to the door and let the student into his class room, promising a substitute if the substitute for Kakashi didn't show up. Some laughed, some shrugged, so I sent a brief reassuring smile and went to ask Iruka where I'd find a sub on such short notice.

"You don't think he'll be here today?" And I shrugged, making him frown.

He sighed in thought, "Well, they have other live-in subs like Kurosawa, just in case, you know? I guess we could ask the front office to-"

"No need, I'm right here, Umino-san." And that smooth voice that I adored had dread pumping through my veins.

I lean back against the wall coolly and fold my arms. It was somewhat childish and showed mistrust, but it also showed casual fearlessness. He smirked, still, taking it for the former and he eyed me up and down in a way that reminded me of the 'inner demon' looking creature that I saw when I invaded his mind.

No, I didn't really fear Madara or his disturbing behavior last night, it actually kind of excited me in that Hazy kind of way, but it bothered me not to know _why_ he was acting like this, so aggressive and dominant, yet so demanding of _my_ aggression and dominance.

It was already frustrating and confusing, but it was even worse when I couldn't figure out why it was happening. It's like he's on drugs, or perhaps there's a full moon?

It didn't matter. I couldn't figure it out, but I knew it had to do with his eyes and his mark and all of the other weird things he's been doing...

I eye him suspiciously and his smirk widens, "Something bothering you, _Karasu_?" I see Umino raise a brow in interest from the corner of my eye.

Madara was messing with me.

I push off of the wall and glare, watching as his teasing smirk fades a bit in confusion. I slowly move until my face is directly in front of his, trying to tower over him despite his superior height. Sure, it was a bit awkward with Iruka-san standing right there, but fortunately, he was uneducated in the art of reading an Uchiha, so to him I simply looked angry, but to Madara, well, it was a rather suggestive challenge...

"Yes, there is indeed something bothering me, _Kurosawa_..." I my eyes flicker to his neck. I expected him to smirk or wink or hell, something that was _Madara_, but he... shivers.

Where my eyes said _"Stop these games, or I'll make you regret it." _His eyes said _"Promise?"_

He seemed almost excited, but I honestly couldn't call it strange anymore. It was as if the sensei I had been in love with and the strange creature he was becoming now had fused, but strangely I only seemed to adjust instead of resisting the change. I mean, I couldn't exactly be mad at him for not being exactly the same as he was in my childhood, for I too had changed since then.

I rolled my eyes and went back to my class room, making sure our shoulders bumped as I walked by. I can't say that I'm fully comfortable with all of this change, but I would have to play this cool. He grabbed my arm as I walked past him and I was jerked to a stop. When my eyes met his it was impossible to hide what I was feeling. I was still ashamed of my actions, surprised by his, and confused.

As we stared at each other I wondered what he had been thinking last night. I sure as hell knew what he had been feeling, because all of the possessive rage and burning jealousy scorched my poor neck, but I hadn't known exactly what had been going through that strange mind of his...

He obviously wasn't going to hunt Deidara, because if he wanted to, he would(just because Madara's not the 'sit and wait around' type of guy when it comes to revenge, a theory well displayed last night). Madara's eyes are lidded as he looks at me, a sign that he was now calm no longer full of rage, but I slowly and reluctantly pull out of his grasp and walk towards my class room once more. I shut the door behind me without glancing back. I felt the eyes on me, but I forced myself to ignore them.

I had to think, and I really couldn't do that around Madara, so when I returned to my class, instead of doing the complex lesson, I left them with a video on Kanji stroke-order so I could mindlessly grade papers. The kids groaned, but I couldn't really bother myself with it. I really did need to put the puzzle pieces together, plus, assignments piled up at a rate I had been unaware of and I was rather behind. Productivity is efficiency and efficiency requires the skill of multitasking.

I looked towards the door, watching Iruka attempt awkward conversation with Madara while the latter only stared at him.

Poor Iruka-san.

I smirked and shook my head, looking back at my papers, wincing occasionally. Nothing worse than bad grammar.

As I did this, I began my mental checklist of oddities that had been recently displayed by my sensei.

Let's first talk about his spontaneous bouts of insanity. What the hell is wrong with him? It's like he's having a manic episode one day, then the very next he turns into some cuddly(horny) candy-fiend. It made me wonder if he had caught some form of mad cow disease or something when he left the well. Can someone catch bipolar disorder?

And those red eyes, that were most definitely not Sharingan, played a big part as well. They always seemed to show up in these crazed episodes of his. Any time he wasn't what I would define as normal, which could best be described as docile, because in my opinion 'normal' and 'Madara' were antonymous words, his eyes would change to that shade.

It seemed to be happening more and more, and each time it does he seems to struggle as if it's something uncontrollable that continues to escalate. I sometimes imagined him turning into a wear-wolf of some sort, jokingly of course, but the idea recently seemed to become reasonable to me.

I couldn't be blamed for thinking these things, really. Any man could become paranoid, all he needed was to be excluded from something, like a secret. As soon as someone finds out you're hiding something from him, trust begins to wear away until it reveals a thick layer of suspicion. As this particular layer of an excluded man wears down, it slowly gets worse. Just after you've worn away that last, resisting layer of suspicion, the man begins to look at the ones he loves differently, as if they are against him in something.

Now we've reached the core of the man. He has gone mad with his paranoia and is now doing everything in his power to reveal the seedling of a secret that started his madness. Some call this breaking point a spontaneous fall into schizophrenia- I call it foolishness.

Of course, I was no man, so I could not relate to them completely- I could only observe. My paranoia was very different from a man's, as it would not cause insanity in a naturally(arguably) sane creature like me. Since, being non-human, I could not fall victim to these inconvenient behaviors I was free to think rationally about what to do, so naturally, I do so.

This 'rational thinking' was not so easy, though, especially when it revolved around Madara. All the clues and the haze and the lust and the connection and everything else all added up to one thing somehow, but I simply could not develop the thought.

I look out into the hallway through the small window in the door and blanch. Dear God, Iruka-san and Madara-sensei were still conversing! I watch his strange expressions, some familiar, some relating to this strangeness and I must wonder what exactly they're talking about. When I see Madara wiggle his eyebrows suggestively I can only assume.

What horribly embarrassing comments could he be making about me? It seemed to me that they were talking in a somewhat perverted manor and I shake my head. Really, sex-talks in the hallway? How does one even get on such a topic with a stranger? Don't they have classes to teach?

He met my eye with a particularly devilish grin that give me shivers and his own eyes flashed hungrily in response. Those eyes again... It wasn't just the hue, it was the message they conveyed. He was fighting something, an urge perhaps, and it was a rather strenuous battle.

Madara licks his lips and walks away from Iruka-san and into his class room mid-sentence, leaving his neighboring teacher shocked and slightly offended.

I shake my head thinking, _Madara-sama_...

Let me help you...

**Madara**

Ah, so he was indeed afraid to face me after last night. I had suspected this when he did not come into the bedroom to awaken me, but as I face him now, I was positive. 'Afraid' may not be the correct term, since he still attempted a firm stance and daring words, but his intimidation tactics were all half-assed and they only excited me more.

I watched his hips sway as he tried to walk past and I grabbed his arm to stop him. His brave front shattered then and there and I was suddenly struck down by his eyes. They were the same as last night. I loosened my grip on his upper arm, watching mournfully as it slowly moved out of my grasp. I continued to watch him while he walked away from me and into his class room, but he spared me no glance.

"I'm sorry, I think I offended him earlier..." I glance at Umino with a raised brow and he averts his eyes in a rather embarrassed way.

"How so, Umino-san?" I swear to Amaterasu if you've damaged my dear one...

He gives a nervous laugh, "I may or may not have called him your lover..." and I have to hold back my laughter.

It was truly ironic to me, that Itachi was trying so hard to catch my attention yet he clams up when someone else notices these attempts. He was a strange creature, that boy.

Still, our neighbor's observations proved that our bond was not as well disguised as we thought. This could pose a threat to us and our many secrets, and I'm sure Itachi would lose his poor mind if Sasuke knew the truth about us.

I decided to be discrete, for Itachi's sake. "What a wild idea, Umino-san," and I try to sounds friendly or light hearted, but neither tone seems to work with my voice, and I'm sure it comes out as an intimidating or threatening sound.

My suspicions are confirmed when Umino awkwardly moves away a bit. I continue speaking in an attempt to create a conversation I could function in.

"Perhaps your longing for this 'Kakashi' has brought on these romantic ideas?" and his entire aura changes into one that radiated fuzzy feelings, so much so that I almost became nauseous.

"Oh, it's so funny that you would say that, Kurosawa-san! He called me last night saying that he should be arriving here soon!" After this statement he swooned a bit.

"Am I to assume that I will be hearing strange noises from your home upon this arrival?"

Umino gave a blank and confused look before turning red and stuttering. "Oh! Umm, I don't think we'll be doing anything like that with my daughter in the next room..." but then he turned and mumbled to himself, "But you never really know with Kakashi..."

I smirk at that, "So this Kakashi is kind of..." I wiggle my eyebrows for lack of better means of communication and Umino laughs awkwardly while he nods. "It's odd, really, considering he was such a broody guy when we met. I never really thought he'd have a crazy libido like that..."

I glance into Itachi's class room and watch him watch us. "I can relate to that. Karasu has always been a broody friend of mine, but he's apparently a rather generous lover..." I say in Japanese, with a bit of resentment, but then I catch myself and add, "Or so I hear..."

Umino raises a brow in playful suspicion, also switching language. "Oh? I thought you guys were just room-mates?" and he then returns my eyebrow wiggle.

Damn, now I have to make up shit... "Yes. We are." There, that wasn't so hard. And I thought my talent for lying had gotten rusty...

He seems to shake his head in confusion or exasperation, I can't tell which. "You know, Kurosawa, you and Karasu are strange guys," Damn! I had been such a great actor in my youth! Now I couldn't even maintain nonchalance...

Wait, why did I care? This is Itachi's little game, not mine. I inwardly roll my eyes at myself. Lately I'd been feeling torn in two, as if one side of me was dedicated to protecting those who belonged to me and the other side couldn't care less. That side had been depressing Itachi, it seemed, eating away at our bond like it wanted to eat at his flesh, the damned monster. In my battle days, the inner hunger inside was relied on and treasured, but now it was a pest.

Honestly, that mock-vampire was like a womanizer, only wanting Itachi for his body. Well, I couldn't call it that, since Itachi wasn't a woman, but it was the same concept.

Love and war may be close relatives, but they are not exactly the same, and an unsated hunger had no place in the former.

Does this mean I've 'settled down'?

Is Iruka-san still talking?

"...so I assumed that his awkwardness was because of the language barrier, but he was fluent and even when I spoke Japanese he was stiff." Is he talking about Itachi? "Oh! And I invited you both on behalf of the Language Arts hall to come hang out and get to know everyone. Karasu said he'd ask you?"

Oh God, he talked so fast... Fortunately I had caught most of what he was saying. "Why?"

He gave that _'Wow, you're awkward.'_ look again, "Because you guys are teaching in this hall, plus the other teachers thought you guys were funny when you ate lunch in the lounge and stole that Chemistry teacher's drink." Oh, yeah, I suppose that was 'funny'.

"I see." When he continued to look expectantly at me I figured out he wanted an immediate answer, but quite frankly I wasn't so sure Itachi really wanted to go, otherwise he would have just said yes, instead of that "I'll ask Kurosawa" shit.

"I'll think about it. Have fun letting this Kakashi screw your brains out." I say in english.

He sputters like a sprinkler and I fear that I've used an incorrect term. I swear I've heard students say 'screw your brains out' as some odd slang for sex, so what's his problem?

I shrug, looking one last time into Itachi's class room. He looks up to meet my gaze and I feel my blood pump faster. After a while I turn and leave a still-stuttering Iruka in the hallway as I think about his invitation for Friday.

Itachi... What is going through your mind, to contemplate drinking with strangers? Do you wish to exact your revenge for last night when you've gotten me drunk? How noble of you, little brat...

There is no way I'll let myself get drunk, there was too much at stake, plus I could lose my mind or give in to my core desires and make a meal of an unsuspecting B hall teacher...

That didn't mean I couldn't get Itachi drunk, though. I inwardly rub my palms together maniacally, outwardly smirking(gaining horrified glances from the class I was now in front of).

I can't wait to see what kind of fool you become on Friday, dear one...

**Naruto**

Despite being exhausted, the last few days had been pretty kick ass. I usually spent nights filling out reports or trying to convince Neji to be himself without revealing that I know him outside of 'school'. Not an easy task, I can tell you that much...

Sai didn't say anything else about the Akatsuki sighting, so I left it alone. He hasn't even contacted me since then, so I'm pretty sure my pact with Sasuke is still going.

Speaking of that bastard... I nod a greeting as he sits next to me, something that has become the norm since we made this arrangement. We've only been sitting together since Wednesday, but for a two day companionship, we were already pretty tight. He spent that Wednesday telling me about how Madara reacted to Itachi and Deidara's past adventures. Sasuke assured me that he did not reveal his source, so I had nothing to worry about. Once this was made clear, I simply listened with a fascinated ear.

It was a bit hard to understand at first, since I wasn't an Uchiha, but Kyuubi translated all of the Uchiha-stuff for me. The situation seemed completely odd to Sasuke for reasons I couldn't decipher. What's so weird about it? I mean, I'd be pissed if I got cheated on too.

Then I had to listen Kyuubi rant about how Madara was abusing his Uchiha dominance over Itachi. Kyuubi said that he could only imagine the abuse Itachi had suffered after Sasuke was sent out, and I remember searching Itachi for signs of punishment.

By now, Friday, all of the little signs were gone, but on Wednesday he had a few suspicious bruises...

"Dobe, I asked you a question." Oh, right.

"What did you say?"

Sasuke glared at me, shaking his head and taking what seemed to be a difficult breath. "I asked if I could stay in your dorm this weekend. I need a break from my team, it seems that I underestimated how annoying they could be in large doses."

I smirk evilly, "Sure..." and he raises a brow.

"What is that stupid face about?"

I lean back in my chair, closing my eyes as I link my fingers behind my head. "It's okay, Sasuke, I understand completely. You're not the first to fall victim to this awesome personality, and let's face it, _no one _can resist this hot bod of mine..." I open one eye to look at him as I grin.

For some strange reason, I don't expect the "You're an idiot." that is grumbled at me, but I definitely should have.

I mockingly sigh, "Well I suppose if you're willing to admit it, that you can't resist my hot bod, that is, I could find it in my heart to let you intrude..." Yeah, I had an evil streak too.

Sasuke glared fire at me but I raised a challenging brow that conveyed my seriousness. Sasuke let out a tense breath and forced his body to face me as he looked me in the eye. Just as he's about to stutter out the required phrase, his demeanor changes and suddenly I'm nervous.

He places his hand on the back of my chair and leans into my personal space almost in slow motion. I was deathly still. After observing Sasuke I had been absolutely positive that his only emotions were 'broody', 'annoyed' and 'I-will-fucking-kill-you'.

Of course, these observations had been over the span of less than a week, and two of those days I had also been positive that this guy and his family would murder me and every thing good and beloved in my life...

Wow, maybe _I'm_ the depressive emo...

Sasuke was closing in, definitely not in one of his only three moods so all I could really do was hope that he wasn't pulling a Madara and trying to go Dracula on my neck. Instead, he gave me a predatory glance before he whispered in my ear. "I can't resist your body..." At first, my ears didn't quite register what he was saying, too overwhelmed by how sinister Sasuke could sound, but then it sunk in.

"You stupid bastard! Don't scare me like that!" And the entire class turned to face us, mainly me. I sunk into my chair with a nervous laugh and Sasuke nearly suffocated himself with his collar in order not to laugh at my expense.

Hmm... I wonder if Sasuke could laugh...

When everyone lost interest, I turned to him and pouted. "You're a dick, you know that? I thought you were going to rape me or suck my blood or something..." And he gave a small snort, rolling his eyes.

"Why would I do that? I bet you'd taste like a complete loser..."

"Losers don't have tastes!" He raised a brow, smirking. "...And I'm not a loser!"

"Ah, that's what I was waiting for."

I fold my arms and slouch, grumbling under my breath. "Socially retarded bastard..."

Sasuke sighs and leans back on the desk behind him, "Well, I've fulfilled my end of the deal, can I stay?" Oh, I guess he did...

"Uh, sure?"

**You're an idiot, kit. You're practically Uchiha bait.**

_It's not like he's bringing his family over for a slumber party or anything..._

I hear Kyuubi sigh, **I'm just counting down the seconds now...**

I quirk a brow, making Sasuke smirk knowingly. He seemed so amused when I spoke to Kyuubi.

_Counting down till what?_

**Until Akatsuki or Madara finds us out and kills us, because you're bound to make it happen any second now...**

Hmm, Kyuubi's become a bit of a drama queen.

**Say that again, brat!**

I shake my head in an exasperated manner.

"Voices in your head again, Dobe?" And I looked at him tiredly.

"You don't know the half of it."

Then, something strange happened. Sasuke silently moved his chair closer to mine and placed an awkward hand on my shoulder. I looked from the hand to Sasuke but he was looking straight ahead, avoiding my gaze. Well, he may not be a pro, but he was getting better at the friend thing. I've come to learn that he's a fast learner and I can see us becoming really close in the near future, maybe even best friends. We seemed to compliment each other somehow, like we naturally fit together...

My pocket buzzes and Sasuke jerks his hand away as if burned, making me grin. I pull out my phone and open the text, then look up to see Gaara staring at me.

_What's going on between you and Hebi?_

Damn, if only Sasuke could fit in with the rest of my group, now.

I look back to Sasuke, taking in his dark aura and shady appearance. It sucked that we were on two different sides of the fence. I sure as hell couldn't side with Akatsuki, but maybe I could get Sasuke to join my side...

**I smell a sneaky plot coming on...**

_Shut up, you fox._

**Sakura**

Oh come on, Gaara, hurry up!

Ugh, I have better things to do than wait for that brat behind the school. I just got a date with Lee! The poor boy's been begging me for years in the Hidden world! Sure, he doesn't know that he's going out on a date with his beloved lady-captain, but the hopeless romantic inside me likes to think that he can sense it.

"Sakura..." Finally!

I turn around to face him, "Hey Gaara-kun! What did you wanna talk about? Can we make this quick, I got a da-"

"Naruto is up to something."

What? "How do you know?"

He looks down, thinking. "Honestly, think about it Sakura. Naruto has always been the talkative type, calling us twice a day sometimes just to keep in touch. Lately, _I've_ been initiating conversations."

Oh, that _is _kinda strange...

I watch Gaara's concerned face morph into a pout and I can't help but think that Gaara feels left out of Naruto's life or forgotten or something. They were always so attached to each other, maybe Gaara simply isn't used to it.

I pull him into a hug, "Gaara, don't get all worked up over this, it's the first big undercover assignment. We're supposed to be strangers weaseling our way into different groups. You can't get upset just because you're going through Naruto-with-drawls." And I try to convey my thoughts and reason with him, but he simply wouldn't have it.

"No, Sakura-chan, you don't seem to know Naruto like I do..." Um, Ouch? He pushes me away, still pouting almost.

Gaara suddenly glares at the sky, as if it were responsible for Naruto 'abandoning' him. "Naruto is pushing us away, but he's not upset. This started when he told us to stay away from Hebi Sasuke, yet, Naruto remains by his side at all times."

Ah, I knew it. Gaara _is _jealous.

I smirk and shake my head. "Oh Gaara, are you upset because you don't want to share Naruto with his new boyfriend?" at this, I get a rather cold glare.

"This is not funny, Sakura-chan. Naruto-kun told _us_ to stay away. He usually tells us _everything_, why would he be scared to talk about a love interest, especially when we've gotten involved with interests of our own?"

"Oh? Gaara-kun has a love-interest?"

I get the 'Shut the fuck up' expression. He sighs, "I think... I think Naruto is in some kind of danger..."

Woah, woah, woah! "What? No way, Naruto can be a little thick in the head, but he'd never keep something like that from us, we're his team! 'We're united against dangerous shit!' He's the one who said that!"

Gaara's head droops and he puts his hands in his pockets as if he were wearing normal Suna garbs. It reminded me of how lately he had been thrown into Suna's political matters and I begin to think that maybe the stress is what has Gaara thinking these things.

Before I can ask about it, Gaara speaks once more in that raspy, dead tone. "... If I'm right, then it's gonna be bad..."

I choose to stay silent, now we're standing solemnly next to each other, thinking. If Naruto is really in danger, why _would_ he keep it from us? What does Hebi Sasuke have to do with it?

And how bad does Gaara think it is? I turn to him and ask, "Like... Orochimaru bad?" And Gaara looks grave. "I think it may be worse..." I shake my head in disbelief.

"No way, maybe it's just something personal, something he doesn't feel concerns us?"

This time, Gaara put his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye with... sympathy? I couldn't name it, but it made me feel like a child. He inhaled, and his next words floated out with the breath that escaped his lips shortly after. "That's what I worry about, Sakura..." And Gaara turned and left in the sand.

I stood rooted in my spot suddenly hating what was supposed to be a fun, laid back undercover mission.

"Son of a bitch..." With this mood hanging in the air, I could already tell that my date would be just _fantastic_.

Thanks, Gaara, thanks a lot.

**Madara**

Plotting was so fun. It was definitely on my 'Favorite Things To Do' list. See, I had originally planned to get Itachi drunk, but I soon discovered many flaws in this plan. I then thought, 'Hey, how about _I _get drunk? Then I'll have full control of the situation.' and humiliation would be twice as simple with no bumps in the road.

I wore a grin the entire time, even before I started getting 'drunk'. My mother and I had always said that to get inside someone's head, without Sharingan of course, was to break it open. In other words; utterly humiliate them. Now, with Itachi I had to approach this with caution because, although he's unbreakable on the outside, his insides can be, as previously said, like putty, especially in my hands.

This 'humiliation' would have to be approached delicately, and in a sneaky manner. I couldn't stomp about clumsily with his innermost secrets and weaknesses, as that would defeat my purpose. All I wanted was to observe him in an uncensored fashion, see how he'd react if he thought that I wasn't 'all there'. Naturally I'd be a complete embarrassment to him in my 'drunken frenzy'. This would allow me to see how he handles me in such a state, also how he handles the others present, and let's not forget my third reason for plotting something so out of my way and being so ridiculous.

It would entertain me.

This is what I thought as Itachi drove us to the bar designated for our inebriated festivities, but there was one thing I simply had not bet on. Now what could possibly sneak up on me, Uchiha Madara, great warrior and schemer? Itachi.

More so, Itachi getting drunk.

I had assumed my first plan wouldn't work because I simply couldn't imagine Itachi putting himself in such a vulnerable state. I mean, what would motivate Itachi to pick up a drink?

Damn it all, _I_ was supposed to be the one to have drunken fun and embarrass Itachi, but it seemed the boy had it in the bag. I sat there awkwardly, in shock as Itachi hung all over me, slurring his words. I suppose it was my fault, though, for if I hadn't stared him in the face and deep-throated a Popsicle at our table then he wouldn't have taken that first giant gulp who-knows-what kind of alcohol. At the time I was sure that it had been worth it, because the red faced, heated gaze that I received would be saved in my memories for the next time I was alone in the shower.

Now, everyone was red faced, but for a different reason. Words were slurred and sloppy as once-collected language arts teachers conversed and joked. Even that busy-body Umino was a little tipsy as he eyed me and Itachi with suspicious, knowing eyes. He would smile in a somewhat perverted way that said he was completely aware of Itachi and I, not that Itachi was making it hard for him...

Itachi was currently recovering from a drinking game that he had just won, emitting lazy giggles. He leaned back, unconsciously imitating my exact sitting position. When he noticed, he rubbed his neck and laughed. It would have been 'cute' if he had not placed that same hand on my inner thigh and smirked immediately after. Naturally I took this as some kind of challenge despite Itachi's less than challenging state, but honestly, the boy was asking for it. Our game of seduction was officially back on and the goal was to see who could be the sneakiest sexual predator. We wouldn't want anyone to see through our little 'room-mate' charade, right?

You see, that's what _I_ thought, but it seemed that Itachi was too smashed to care, and throwing caution to the wind, he crawled over the table and into my lap.

Everyone froze. It seemed as though such boldness coming from someone like Itachi sobered them up rather quickly. I tried to play it off, pretend to be disturbed by this act.

"Ah, Karasu, it seems you've had a few too many..." But Itachi only squinted his eyes in confusion, as if my statement flew completely over his head.

"Karasu? Sensei, what are you-"

"AHA- um, yeah, we're going home." My hand was now uncomfortably wet from being slapped over Itachi's open mouth but I kept it there. I gave the other teachers at our table a 'mind-your-own-business-or-I'll-kill-you' grin and they all gladly turned back to their drinks- All except Umino Iruka of course.

Nosy bastard...

"Kurosawa-san, will he be alright?" Asked Umino as he followed us to the parking-lot. I couldn't exactly answer that since I currently had the object of our concern swung over my shoulder so I chose to keep silent. Instead of walking away, though, he continued behind us until I got to Itachi's automobile.

Damn, how does that thing work again? Why won't Umino go away so I could just phase us all home? Okay, act natural, like someone who hasn't spent the last few years in a well. Um- Oh! Right, keys.

"Karasu, your keys." I sat Itachi on the hood of the car as gently as I could, watching as he swayed and looked around before looking at me.

"Karasu?" he asks. I sigh and inwardly facepalm.

"Where-Are-Your-KEYS, boy?" He looked around once more before shrugging.

I'm never letting this brat drink again. Talk about a light-weight.

I groaned in annoyance, then Umino spoke. "Could they be in his pocket?" Ah! Good idea, Umino, that's why I keep you around!

"I'll check." but of course, Itachi wasn't going to let it be that simple.

"...Aah, Sensei, if you wanted to shove your hands down my pants, all you had to do was ask..."

"Shut up, brat!" Ugh! I'm going to kill him! He chooses _now_ to be a sexual deviant? After so long of Itachi's squirming, I finally yanked the keys from the back pocket of Itachi's uncomfortably tight black pants. "Hey, my keys!" And suddenly, from his place sitting upon the hood, he wrapped his legs around me and glared. By now, I was rather fed up with Itachi's behavior, as it was nothing like him at all. I could handle crying drunks, I could handle crazy drunks- and I was usually rather happy handling horny drunks- but Itachi was _really_ close to being dubbed an annoying drunk, and I don't fancy those. Hell, Itachi would be dubbed a horny drunk in any other situation, but frankly, in _this _particular situation it pissed me off.

I throw the keys behind me, assuming by the peculiar clinking sound that Umino caught them. My hand slaps under his chin, forcing his head up and his eyes to meet mine in an unpleasantly familiar way. He jerks his head away like a child and I slap my hands down on his thighs, prying them open so that their hold on my waist would weaken. It did, and I left my hands there to dig my elongated claws into his skin in a warning manner, but be it the alcohol or something else, Itachi did not back down like usual. He instead fixed a heated, challenging gaze on my and I felt myself gulp with anticipation.

It was now a battle for dominance.

Itachi's hands slowly crept onto mine, holding them there against his thighs when I tried to snatch them away. His voice was silky all of the sudden, and so low that I almost felt each heavy sound wave wash against my face as it vibrated from his throat. "Sensei..." and from just that word, that tone, that voice, my eyelids fluttered and my spine curled uncomfortably in a way that made it difficult to continue glaring at him. "Sensei, why do you wear so many clothes?" he says as if he just noticed and those hands snaked up my arms to my shoulders to my chest where they explored briefly before I smacked them away.

Itachi wasn't about to take that, though, and I find myself clutching my face when his clawed hand swings. I stare at the blood on my hand, dripping from what was surely a terrible bunch of gashes on my cheek, then I find myself in a glaring match with Itachi. Both of us growl with our teeth bared and I find that I don't know whether to be enraged or aroused.

I hiss air through my teeth in frustration, and "You're an awful drunk, boy." is the only thing I can say in reply. He smirks in a satisfied manner at my indirect submission, leaving me to growl and look away. I almost choke when I remember that Iruka is still there, nervously holding my keys as he shakes in the presence of our excited demonic auras.

I snatch the keys from him with a sneer. "There is no need to see us off, Umino-san, you can go back inside, we're leaving." My tone assures him that the 'go back inside' part of that sentence was not a mere suggestion, and he awkwardly leaves, looking ready to throw back a few more after what he just witnessed.

When I see him disappear inside I go back to glaring at Itachi, but freeze, suddenly feeling like cornered prey. The air around Itachi had shifted in an unsettling way that said Itachi wasn't exactly 'all there' and I felt myself entranced by this sudden change. My mate was suddenly towering over me, almost in a threatening manner but I knew what was really happening. Itachi's mind was no longer there, leaving his body to fall into command- and his body wanted mine. And judging by his red, dotless eyes, I'd say he was attracted to something even deeper.

I did the first thing that came to mind; 'get the fuck out of here'. My eyes bled with the sudden Sharingan transformation, but it couldn't be helped. I had to get Itachi away from anyone. I left the car behind, because transporting that into our living room would be strange, but doing something like teleportation so spontaneously was still a bit painful, so as soon as I was sure that we were home, my hands slapped over my bleeding eye.

"Gah-... che!" Shit! This is why I use Sharingan less... I pulled my hand away from my face, glaring at the blood. Fucking Itachi, this is all his fault...

I glared across the room, my eyes zoning on a panting form lying pathetically on the floor. I crawl over to him, stupidly concerned. 'What is wrong with my mate?' my inner demon thought.

"Itachi...?" He shuddered and curled in on himself even more.

My body seems to have a mind of it's own, that or my inner self has decided to indulge in the tender aspects of it's bond to Itachi, because I was back to crawling on my hands and knees until I was right at his side. "Itachi..." My hand reaches out for him, turning him over so I could see his face, making sure that I hadn't hurt him somehow while transferring us here. My hand is suddenly trapped in a vice grip, along with a large bunch of my hair, and I'm pulled down and over Itachi and thrown onto my back.

The breath is knocked out of me and I arch with the unexpected force of the hard floor on my back. I open my eyes to see Itachi hovering above me, red eyes now glowing. I was confused and I stared at him, watching him watch me. What initiated this? Could the alcohol have lured Itachi's inner demon from it's dormancy? My question was answered negatively when Itachi runs his fingertips over my face before pulling back to admire the deep red life blood that now coated his hand.

It wasn't the alcohol, it was my blood that brought this out of Itachi. I'm sure the alcohol played a part in breaking down Itachi's control, but the sight and scent of my blood must have unleashed him. I watched helplessly as he raised the hand to his mouth, fully intent on tasting what seemed to be teasing his senses. Just before his red fingers reached his lips, I decided to be not-so-helpless. Itachi flew backwards with the force of my kick, his back smashing into the wall and I find myself thankful that Iruka was still at the bar, because I have no idea how I would have explained that, or Itachi's abnormal state.

I jumped up, intent on running to the kitchen to fetch water or something to rinse my face and Itachi's hands of my blood. I didn't look behind me, but when I heard a feral growl I knew Itachi was on his feet and pissed. My front smacked hard against the kitchen floor as Itachi tackled my legs. Blood was smeared all over the linoleum where Itachi's hands and my face broke our fall. I twist my body to get this mindless Itachi off of me but he doesn't budge.

"Get off, boy!" I yell when his teeth come dangerously close to my throat. I give into a slight panic when I feel him pinning me down, but I am not scared for me. I find myself afraid of what woes Itachi will face if this heritage is activated. The demon inside me is positively _purring_, eager take whatever my mate has to offer, and this primal, animalistic feeling is exhilarating, but I fight it. I can't let him taste it, because who knows what will happen. I twist once more and roll onto my back and use rinnegan, which was much more effective in getting Itachi off of me.

I teleport to the sink and grab the sprayer, turning on the water and aiming at the fast-approaching descendent of mine. As he stares at his now-cleaned hands in confusion, I take the chance to rinse the blood from my face. By the end of this insanity, both of us are very wet, and one of us is very disoriented.

"...Sensei...?" I look up to see bleary eyes blinking water from their lashes. That could have been a really shitty situation...

I slowly walk toward him, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding his head to my chest. He resists at first, tensing slightly before giving in and returning the comforting embrace. "Madara, what is wrong...?" but there was no way to give him a completely honest answer.

I continued to hold him, then I began almost petting him, burying my nose in his hair as I came to a realization. I was scared. It was the first time I have been truly scared in centuries. I was scared that Itachi would lose a part of himself when he became like me, that there would be something different about him, that he would change. I would be with him regardless, but what if this change hurt Itachi? I could never live with myself, despite how pathetic it sounds.

"Don't drink..." Itachi only slumps further into my embrace, giving an unsure nod. I won't be able to hold out much longer, there is no way I can continue to dwell in denial, because tonight was my wake up call. If a bit of alcohol can break Itachi's walls then he's much farther gone than I could have guessed. This proves it; Itachi is cursed to be like me.

My mate is falling into his inner demon's clawed hands and there is nothing I can do to prevent it.

**Iruka**

"No way! I'm not drunk! I've had a few with some teachers..."

"Oh? Any I'm familiar with? You know I'm kinda famous..." I can only imagine the comical eye-brow wiggle.

"Yeah, all of the teachers and agents ask about you, and some of them aren't even from Konoha! Oh! And you know who's been dying to see her daddy?"

I hear a deep, hummed chuckle, "That couldn't be my angel, could it?" I feel my heart swell a bit.

When my wife died, I had been sure that it would be just Miko and I from then on, but she and Kakashi took to each other so quickly, where as others found her shyness and broodiness off-putting. She was just like her mother, really, and I found it adorable, as did Kakashi. 'She reminds me of a family I spent a lot of time with.'

After her mother died, she was always so quiet. I was sure that she would never open up to anyone, but I can only thank the heavens for that family of Kakashi's, because he knew exactly how she worked.

And the fact that I loved him to death was a plus, too.

I laugh warmly, "You're all Miko talks about, when she talks of course. It's either you, Naruto, or Karasu."

Kakashi is silent for a bit, "... Who's Karasu? You're new boy friend?" He asks jokingly. Well, I suppose I _haven't_ told him about the neighbors. This is our first phone call in since the start of the mission.

"No, stupid, more like Miko's new boyfriend. It's one of the teachers that lives next door to us. Every time she sees him in the hall she stares."

He sighs, "Maa, so young, yet she's already boy-crazy..."

I laugh and lean against the outer wall of the bar, having walked back out to answer my phone after my odd neighbors left.

"Yeah, it's her first crush. I think it's just because he's quiet and mysterious, misunderstood like she often is." Kakashi hums in understanding.

"Ah, the awkward type. Does he have glasses?" This time I laugh out loud, because I'm sure Kakashi translated 'misunderstood' into 'dorky'.

"No, no, no, he's very... pretty. Long dark hair and pale skin like Miko, another reason she might identify with him. And I wouldn't call him awkward, just... I don't know, 'new' to interaction. He was probably raised as some village's fighter, he seems like the assassin type, so that might be why he's like that."

Kakashi hummed once more, now serious and obviously interested in the business part of this call. "Describe the way he acts, maybe it will tell us which village?" So I get down to it, remembering the way he moved, the way he spoke, the way he communicated and interacted.

"Hmm, well, like I said, he was really stiff, very difficult to talk to. He seemed like he was really trying to be friendly, but it just wasn't comfortable or there was somewhere he needed to be. He's definitely hiding something, but there's no way he'd trust me with it-"

"So he talks to no one?"

"No, he has a room-mate-"

"Why didn't you mention that earlier?" I almost throw the phone.

"Why don't you let me get to it?" Silence. God damn. "Anyways, Kurosawa is his room-mate. He's weird too, but he doesn't waste time trying to hide it when Karasu isn't around. He will literally creep you out on purpose, that, or walk away mid-conversation. You know what? He did that just today! You won't believe what he sai-"

"Iruka! Just tell it to me report-style!"

Oh, of course... "Okay, gotcha. They're both obviously Japanese, very shady, and are well acquainted with each other-"

"Team-mates? Relatives?" If he interrupts me one more time.

"I was thinking lovers. Karasu seems to be trying to keep that a secret as well. Kurosawa usually goes with whatever Karasu does, he doesn't really care about pleasantries. I think they have bigger secrets though, maybe not malicious, but they feel... dangerous, you know? If they aren't from a specific village, they've had clan training. Karasu seemed to have heard your name before, as well."

Kakashi is silent, thinking most likely. "... Recent activity from these two?"

Oh, God, Duh! I just saw a whole storm of 'activity'! Maybe I _have_ had a few too many...

"Holy- I'm so slow, 'Kashi! They were actually just here an hour ago! I was trying to pull them out of their secret bubble, maybe throw them out in the open to get some information, and the weirdest shit happened! Karasu got completely wasted and practically tackled Kurosawa. The poor guy tried to play it off, but Karasu was all over him. Hell, if Kurosawa hadn't _carried_ him out of the bar on his fucking back, Karasu would have raped him on the table!"

I was panting after this big reveal, catching my breath for the next half. Kakashi stayed awkwardly quiet for a second, "...Umm, okay? That _is_ strange I guess..."

"No, it gets weirder! I follow them out and Kurosawa drops him on the car and he's sitting there all clueless, calling Kurosawa 'Sensei' and only responding to 'boy' like some kind of sexy role play. Then, Kurosawa gets pissed off and- and they growl and claw and hit each other and it was like watching a pair of hungry lions fighting over a carcass! Their eyes were red and their teeth were all sharp, like a cat demon, but with the glowing red eyes of a crow demon! Then, Kurosawa shooed me away. I haven't seen them since!"

Kakashi sighed, something he only does when somethings wrong. "Red eyes, pale skin, claws and pointy teeth? That's pretty much half of the eastern demon population... Not to mention Europe's 'vampire'..."

We seemed to be at a dead end as I listened to Kakashi muse on about mannerisms and behaviors. I was about to tell him goodnight when he suddenly spoke up.

"Iruka! Has Naruto been alright? Acting weird? Kyuubi bothering him?" What?

"Um, no, not that he's told me. His team and subordinates have been fine, aside from village business. Neji's been either with Gaara or in Konoha with the Hyuuga clan. Gaara himself has been a bit off, even toward Naruto, but that could be due to the death of the Kazekage. He's supposed to be speaking with Sandaime tonight, by the way, could you be there and talk to him afterward? That woul-"

"Iruka! Just, tell me about anything that even remotely sticks out about Naruto! Jumpiness, paranoia, anything like that?" My tipsy mind back tracks, trying to break away from my 'Gaara tangent'.

"Um, kinda. He was kind of wary of this one boy, Sasuke, completely blew up and I was sure they were going to kill each other, but after that, the two were inseparable."

"Tell me about the kid." I wanted to be annoyed, but I could tell he was serious.

"Well, he's the stuck up type, that's probably what set Naruto off, but you know how that kid has a thing for problemed people. At first, Naruto wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, but they just kept arguing and fighting. Something about him had obviously gotten under Naru's skin. The next day, though, they were practically attached at the hip"

Kakashi 'hmm'ed, "What do _you_, think about him?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, he looks like the type to kick puppies. He has the same creepy qualities as our neighbors, but there's definitely something off, and whatever it is, it's sinister and familiar..."

Kakashi latches on to the creepy part. "What qualities?"

Well, I wasn't actually comparing them, but, "Well, mysteriousness, social skills, the strange knack for intimidation- they even look alike. Hell, Sasuke-san and Karasu could be related!"

"I think they are."

Would this make more sense if there weren't alcohol in my system?

Before I can comment or ask, Kakashi curses into the phone, "No, that wouldn't make sense! There's three of them..." He pauses, "Look, Iruka, I want you to watch the neighbors, and watch how they, and Naruto, interact with Sasuke."

"Alright. Go meet Gaara!"

He sighs, "Alright, alright. I gotta go, take care. Tell Miko I love her. Jaa."

I close my phone, looking at the screen for awhile. I couldn't tell if the swishing of my stomach was a bad feeling or nausea. Kakashi was worried about Naruto for reasons that I simply hadn't seen. Had I not paid enough attention? I mean, I've known Naruto longer... Then again, it could be a Kyuubi thing, Kakashi and Jiraiya were the ones who knew the most about that...

I sigh and lift my head, staring at the cold night sky one more time before turning to go back into the bar to find a designated driver. Before I can even take a step, though, something catches my eye across the parking lot.

My eyes narrow.

Karasu's car hadn't moved.

**Sasuke**

I think this moron's 'idiot-syndrome' is contagious, because the longer he's around me, the more I feel the corners of my mouth pulling up.

I turn my head to look at the alarm clock on his night stand and almost choke. It was nearly three in the morning. That wasn't the big deal, really, because I, as a great and powerful Uchiha, could go without sleep for days, not as long as Itachi, but still significant. The only difference here was that we had spent all of this time goofing off and... _talking_. I am not a 'Chatty-Cathy', so this is rather odd for me. But instead of finding this uncomfortable and annoying, I could only find it annoying, but for a different reason than what would normally be assumed.

I had at first thought the annoyed feeling was because of Naruto low IQ, but I soon discovered otherwise. Contrary to what I previously believed, Naruto wasn't nearly as stupid as I had first imagined(Though I had been dead on when I assumed he would be irritating). No, he couldn't exactly be called intelligent, but he was exceedingly intuitive, so his interesting conversation made his thick-headedness close to tolerable.

I feel him elbow my side a bit, "Hey, are listening to me?" I nod without looking at him, uncomfortable with how close he had gotten to my face. He continued babbling about how prissy Hyuuga Neji was while I half-listened with a smirk. We were laying side-by-side on his bed(because I sure as hell wasn't sleeping on Hyuuga's) talking about anything that came to mind, and I was enjoying myself. I inwardly laugh at Naruto's animated impression of Neji whining about that red-headed kid, Gaara.

"_'Oh, Naruto, I do everything I can to impress him! I talk about how awesome I am and I talk about my vast collection of conditioners and how pretty our eyes are without the pupils!'_"

Yes, Uzumaki Naruto was easy to like- That's what annoyed me. When I had been sure that I was going to hold his secrets over his head, when I had been sure that I would end up killing him by the end of the day, when I had been sure I couldn't stand him, we end up being the two most compatible beings. He understood my silences, he knew just how to reply, he knew what was safe and unsafe to converse about, but the most interesting thing of all was that in the few short days we had known each other, he already knew how to make me smile.

And it was annoying.

"Hey, teme, what's with that pissy expression all of the sudden?"

And he could read me like a book.

I only glared at him, unsure of how to handle such feelings. This moron's talents lie in getting under people's skin, and he is damn good at what he does. I look away from him, aiming my glare at the ceiling. I have fallen for a trap, it seems, and I have no knowledge of how to free myself. Has Naruto put some kind of spell on me? Perhaps Itachi- scratch that, if anyone knows about spells of this nature, it should be Madara. Now, how would I do this in a way that doesn't reveal Naru-

"Ah! Damn, Sasuke, help me find my cellphone, it sounds closer to you." I grimace at the awful dance-music that plays as his ring-tone, as it is indeed closer to me, there for easier to hear.

I pull the phone out from under me and toss it at him with a smirk, enjoying his mortified face.

"Gross, Teme, now I have your ass indirectly touching my face!- Hello?" He says into the phone.

'You love it.' I mouth at him, but I get no reply or laugh. Naruto's face has twisted into a grave seriousness that I hadn't seen since our first encounter.

"Kakashi, are you alright? Oh my god, is Gaara down there- No, I'm there." And he abruptly hung up. I feel my curiosity bubbling and the question spills from my usually tight lips before I can stop it.

"Dobe, what's going on?" He answers as he moves frantically around the room, stripping and changing clothes as he does so.

"Konoha is under attack. Gaara has taken on some political responsibilities after his father's death and was meeting with the Sandaime. Every man with the Konoha emblem is moving, which means I'm late!"

My eyes follow him as I hum in thought.

"Do you want me to come?" and suddenly the speeding bullet stops and almost throws his neck out just to stare at me.

"What? Are you kidding, Teme? Madara hates Konoha, Itachi is an S-class criminal, you were probably buried under the rubble of the Uchiha Massacre, why the hell would you think prancing around a manic Konoha is a good idea?"

I stand from the bed and walk toward his half-clothed form, inwardly laughing at the fact that he could still think to be shy in this situation. I smirk instead at his futile attempt to cover himself, then proceed to invade his personal space. "You are my comrade, Dobe, isn't that right?" He nods dumbly as I back away from him and walk towards the door, intent on grabbing my old mission gear from my dorm room.

"Don't leave with out me."

**Hashirama**

This village has changed quite a bit. It was late evening and villagers were still out and about, something pretty well unheard of in my time. Of course, now-a-days everything is so peaceful that any form of attack seems unheard of.

That's going to change.

I'm sorry, dear village of mine, but it is quite literally out of my control. I have a mission to complete and in order to do so, you will need to return my necklace.

I calmly walk toward Hokage mountain, examining my successors indifferently. That third looks a lot like that little brat Sarutobi...

Naturally, getting past all of the guards and seals was effortless- I kind of invented this place. Many things had changed, but the general lay out of everything had stayed exactly the same, something that irked me a bit. Uchiha Madara had come up with that layout, modeling it after what would be called the Uchiha district. It's almost as if they kept this part just to get under my skin. Laughing even in the grave, Madara?

I break out of my memories as I swing open the doors to my old office and meet two sets of eyes, one surprised, one bored and half obscured.

The man with the covered eyes had crooked silver hair and a voice to match his tired eyes. "And how may we help you mister...?"

I did not have to answer his question, though, because an aged brat with a familiar face stole the words right out of my mouth.

"...Senju? Senju, Hashirama?" the lazy young man no longer looked as tired, standing tense and attentive.

I face the current Hokage, "Yes, and I want my necklace back."

**Ahh, It's shit. I've been trapped in the worst rut, this story is not going where I want it to go! I keep finding flaws in my ideas and having to rework or completely change them, and man, all of the tweaks are a pain to remember. **

**If something doesn't make sense, please pm or review, because I have no beta. **

**I'm sorry I put off updating for so long! I'm going to go Jiraiya mode and spend my break doing 'research' so I can feel motivated for the lemony goodness in future chapters~! I hope this wasn't too dry for anyone, I just feel like this chapter sucks!**

**I promise to improve!**

**Claim Your Threes!**

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_**Madara... repelled him somehow. - **_**it was Rinnegan if you couldn't guess.**

_**(I was convince he was high on something, probably the same thing he had been on just before we left the Uchiha manor awhile back)- **_**He's talking about just after Madara came out of his room. He had just drank his 'elixir'.**

**How come the stories I favorite/alert are the ones that only get updated during blue moons? Seriously, it sucks. I'm dying to see what happens in 'What went wrong?' (a Madaita by stephfarrow94), and that's not even the only dormant story. I wuv your story stephfarrow94 :(**

**And woah, just saw the MadaIta story 'Possession' by Vicious94. At first I was like 'Am I being jacked?!' but then I read it and I was like 'Oh, nevermind...'. It's pretty good, too :D You guys should look it up~!**

**Wow, I'm advertising and I don't even talk to this person...**

**I hope I haven't let P&P followers down!**

**~SaLEm**


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